Waning Moon, Waxing Moon
by SaffronAngel
Summary: ABANDONED....I'm rewriting this to make it work better. Sorry for those of you waiting for the next chapter.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Twillight series. That is the property of the brilliant Stephenie Meyer.

SUMMARY: Something happens to Bella. How will Edward react?

A/N: This story picks up during New Moon. First couple of chapters take place shortly after Bella snaps out of her funk. This one starts the day after she went to the movie with Jessica.

* * *

Saturday night. Bella had spent all day with Jacob fixing the bikes. Right after dinner with her dad she spoke up. "Dad, I promised Jess I'd meet her in Port Angeles for a late movie tonight."

"Are you sure, Bells? That would put you back here sometime after midnight."

"I'll be fine, Dad. Really. And I'll be careful." She kissed his cheek and ran out the front door.

As she drove down the road she tried to justify her actions to herself._ 'I heard him in town last night. Maybe I'll hear him even better if I go back to the bookstore.'_

'_Bella, this is reckless. Don't do this.'_ She could hear him almost begging her not to do this.

'_I have to. I need this.'_

'_You promised.'_

Before she knew it she had pulled into the parking lot where Edward had saved her that one night. Stepping out of the truck, she marveled fro just a moment at the fact that she'd even found the place.

But then she noticed them. The same four guys who'd attacked her that night had surrounded her out of nowhere, trapping her against the side of the truck.

"Lookee here, boys. We found us a repeat. She didn't really want to go with ol' psycho boy last time."

They started pawing at her arms and then she felt their hands on her breasts and cringed. That was when they started ripping off her clothes.

The next thing she felt was the cold of the truck bed against her bare back. Two of the guys were up in the bed holding her down as another one held one of her legs. The fourth guy just knelt in between her legs and unzipped his pants. "This is what you missed that night, darlin'."

She screamed as he rammed himself hard between her legs. She started crying at that point, certain that these four would kill her before she could even try to get away.

'_I didn't want this for you. I was trying to save you. Protect you.'_

'_You left me. Left me alone and broken. Now I'm broken even more.'_

The voice in her head let out a keening wail and was eerily silent.

When the men had finished with her they left her lying in the bed of the truck. Somehow, she managed to drag herself out of the bed and pulled on some of her clothes. Then, she dragged herself into the cab of the truck and drove to the first hospital she found.

The nurse looked up as the automatic doors slid open and a teenage girl trudged into the emergency room. Running to her, the nurse noticed that it was by a sheer act of will that the girl was standing at all.

"I was raped," she managed to whisper before collapsing into the nurse's arms.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. Stephenie Meyer is a genius.

SUMMARY: Bella's been raped. How is she going to deal with it?

* * *

Charlie and Jacob stormed into the emergency room of the Port Angeles hospital. "I'm looking for my daughter, Isabella Swan."

"Right this way, Chief Swan." The nurse immediately led Charlie to a darkened room. "She won't talk to any of us. Won't tell us what happened."

"I'll find out." Then, Charlie took a deep breath and sighed. He didn't know how to deal with this. This sort of thing never happened in Forks. This sort of thing wasn't supposed to happen to the chief's daughter.

He walked into the room, wishing that he knew a woman who could help him with this part. He'd been trained on how to deal with rape victims of course. But how do you deal with it when it's a family member?

****

Bella watched her dad walk into the room, looking for all the world like he expected her to bolt from him. "I'm sorry, dad. Sorry I lied to you. Sorry that I went out like that at night."

She was crying and Charlie walked to the bed to wrap his daughter in a hug. Just before he did though, he looked into her eyes. "Hold me, daddy?" she asked in a tiny voice, knowing what he wanted to do.

Charlie slowly wrapped his daughter up in his arms and pulled her tight into his chest. "Baby, I'm sorry. Sorry that you went through this. But you know you have to tell me what happened. I need to know so that we know how to help you."

Bella proceeded to tell him hesitantly everything about the night except for the voice in her head. Charlie would never have understood that part. She didn't tell him that she'd heard Edward humming her lullaby for her as it all happened. Charlie was crying with her when she finished telling him the story and then she saw Jacob in the doorway.

Pulling back from her dad she looked at him with the question in her eyes. "I brought him to drive the truck back for us. You'll ride in the car with me."

She nodded. "I need to get dressed." Charlie handed her the bag he'd brought with him.

"I thought you might like some fresh clothes." She nodded and he and Jacob left the room so that she could change.

On the trip home, Bella was curled up in the front seat of the cruiser tight against the door. She had fallen asleep by the time they got to the house and Charlie hated to wake her up but he needed to get her upstairs to her bed.

"I'll carry her, Charlie. If that's okay with you. That way we only have to wake her up enough for her to understand what we're doing."

Charlie nodded. He bent over his daughter's form and called her name twice without touching her. He didn't want to startle her.

"Bella. Bella, honey. We're home, Bella." She opened her eyes and sat up just a little bit, groaning when she tried to straighten her legs out. "Is it alright if Jacob carries you upstairs to your room?"

She nodded sleepily and Charlie stepped back as the teen walked slowly up to Bella and reached for her, giving her plenty of time to move away. Instead, they were both pleasantly surprised when Bella reached out her arms to Jacob.

He gathered her gently in his arms and carried her into the house and up the stairs. When he came back down. Charlie thanked him. "If you want, Jake, you can crash on the couch. I'll take you home in the morning."

"Maybe I will. But I think that, if it's okay with Bella, I'll just stay here with her tomorrow. I'll call Dad and let him know where I am. I left a note but I want to talk to him anyway."

Charlie nodded. It would be a good idea to have someone here with Bella for the next few days while he had to work. After all, if she got too scared and had no one around…. He didn't want to think of what could happen.

Jacob stretched out on the couch, his frame much too long for getting really comfortable.

Charlie went upstairs to his room, knowing that he wasn't likely to get much sleep for the next several days and wanting to kill Edward Cullen for hurting her so badly in the first place.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Bella's been raped. Can she recover? What will Edward say when he finds out? Will he find out?

* * *

The next morning, Bella didn't want to stay at the house while Charlie was at work. So she and Jacob went out to get parts for the bikes. She noticed that Jacob kept himself between her and any other man around them. For that alone she could have hugged him repeatedly.

The one time someone brushed her arm she flinched away and met Jacob's eyes. He knew what was going through her mind at the time. She was frightened but determined not to let it beat her. She wasn't going to end up hiding for the rest of her life because of what these animals had done to her.

Once they got back to the garage, Bella was amazed at how many delicate tasks Jacob did with those large hands of his. She found herself smiling and talking with him. Even though he could tell that she wasn't so sure of herself anymore.

As the day wore on, Jacob knew that Bella wasn't looking forward to going to school the next day and wished he could just keep her with him where she'd be safe and protected.

Billy's voice called to the teens from his front porch. Bella jumped up to help Jacob put things away but he just shrugged it off. "Just leave it. I'll work on it later tonight."

"Don't forget your schoolwork or anything." He could tell she was trying to keep him from getting in trouble.

"Bella?" That was Charlie's voice and they knew that they couldn't let Charlie see these things. The two of them ran out of the garage into the night. Jacob was holding her hand and he led her straight down the familiar path.

Regardless, both of them tripped numerous times. So they were laughing when they saw the house. It wasn't true laughter; Bella's emotional scars were still way too deep for that kind of thing.

When they saw Charlie on the back porch with Billy in the doorway behind him, they both piped with, "Hey Dad," which promptly led both teens back to a case of the giggles.

Charlie let them know that he and Bella were staying for dinner.

Since the house was bound to be seriously crowded, everyone went outside to eat. Jacob and Bella sat off to one side with Seth Clearwater, whose family had also been invited. Seth was making sure he stayed in the conversation.

Things were good. No one was pressuring Bella to join conversation. Although Charlie was watching her. He was trying to be discreet about it but she knew. He seemed concerned and yet pleased that at least Jacob was still allowed to touch.

Charlie rode home with Bella in the truck and asked her when she was planning on seeing Jake again. "Tomorrow, after school. I'll take homework. Don't worry."

Once they got home though, Bella was scared to go to sleep. She knew that tonight would not be peaceful for her.

She woke shuddering, her scream muffled by her pillow.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Bella's trying to recover from her rape and is doing fairly well. Is she really okay?

A/N: I know I stated that this is an Edward/Bella story line and it's getting there gradually. Next chapter will have more Edward.

* * *

Weeks after the rape, Jake changed. He wasn't his usual self. He was short-tempered even with Bella, almost to the point of being rude to her. At first his dad let the word out that it looked like mono but Bella really wanted to see Jacob.

She decided to wait a week.

She was in the house much too much and much too alone. She was dozing off during the day and waking up screaming just like she did at night. The dreams at night even got worse, placing James' face on her attackers with Edward arriving too late to save her.

She wasn't handling alone well.

Finally, Saturday arrived and she determined to call and talk to Jacob.

Billy told her that Jacob was feeling better. It hadn't been mono after all. But apparently he had decided that giving some friends a ride up to Port Angeles and being gone the whole day took precedence over calling a worried friend to let her know he was okay.

She extracted Billy's promise to tell Jake that she'd called and then he hung up the phone before she even got to say goodbye.

With the fear that Jacob had changed his mind and followed her advice about not wasting any more time on someone who couldn't return his feelings, she felt the blood drain from her face.

"Something wrong?" Charlie asked as he came down the stairs.

"No. Billy says Jacob is feeling better. It wasn't mono. So that's good."

"Is he coming here or are you going there?" Charlie asked absently as he started poking through the fridge.

"Neither. He's going out with some other friends." A sudden alarm registered in Charlie's mind as the tone of his daughter's voice finally caught his attention. Was she going to get mopey again? Should he leave her alone to go fishing?

He felt a little relief when she mentioned calling Jessica. But why did he get the feeling that she wasn't exactly telling him the whole truth?

"Hey, you'll study here or at Jess's right?"

"Sure, where else?"

"Well, it's just that I want you to be careful to stay out of the woods like I told you before."

"More bear trouble?"

Charlie kind of hurried out the door for his fishing trip with Harry, which meant he didn't stick around to see Bella call Jessica.

Bella knew that she couldn't call Jessica. Jessica was barely speaking to her in school. She was certain that she wouldn't want anything to do with her outside of school.

That left two choices. She could go down to La Push and get her motorcycle. Of course that wasn't such a good idea because there'd be no one to take her to the emergency room if she needed to go.

Okay third choice.

Time to see about finding the meadow.

****

The sky was almost dark when Bella returned to the house. Charlie was not happy. He had obviously found out that she hadn't been studying with Jessica.

"I was hiking."

"What happened to going to Jessica's?"

"I didn't feel like Calculus today."

"I thought I asked you to stay out of the forest."

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry. I won't do it again."

"What happened?" Charlie demanded after taking his first really close look at the young woman in front of him.

"I saw the bear." Her voice was high and shaky despite her best efforts to keep it calm. "It's not a bear though- it's some kind of wolf. And there are five of them. A big black one, and gray, and reddish-brown…."

"Are you okay?" When her head bobbed in a weak nod, he continued. "Tell me what happened."

"They didn't pay any attention to me. But after they were gone, I ran away and I fell down a lot."

After clarifying a few points, Charlie called the station and reported what Bella had told him. Then, he asked if she was hungry.

"Just tired." As she headed up the stairs, Charlie told her about seeing Jacob in town.

Pausing to check the locks before she went to her room she wondered why she bothered. The wolves that she'd seen could probably just break down the door if they really wanted in. Of course if it were Laurent or Victoria….

Laying down on her bed shaking too hard to sleep, Bella curled into a cramped ball under her quilt facing the horrifying facts.

It was hopeless. No one could help her. No precautions would save her. She couldn't hide and there was nothing else she could do.

The terror that tore through her body rocked her until her teeth chattered. Bella fell asleep that night with a fist pressed against her mouth to keep from screaming.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine.

SUMMARY: Bella's been raped. She's acting more or less normal. Hasn't told anyone. Only Charlie and Jacob know. But what will happen when the Cullens find out? Why didn't Alice see this?

* * *

Somewhere in South America, Edward sat in a darkened hotel room holding the picture he'd taken from Charlie's house the day that he left … He couldn't even think her name without feeling a wrenching pain in the area where his heart had been.

"I hope that you are having the life I wanted for you. I miss you so much."

Suddenly he felt a wave of fear wash over him. What was it? Was something wrong with one of his family?

Picking up the little silver cell phone Carlisle had insisted he take with him, he hurriedly punched in the numbers to connect him to his family.

"Esme, is everyone there alright?"

"Yes. We're all fine, Edward. Why? What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just felt a wave of fear wash over me. My first thought was…"

"Your first thought was that it was Bella." She knew him too well. Knew that even though he had decided to leave her behind she was the first he thought of at any sign of trouble.

If he could have done it, a blush would have covered Edward's entire face. "Yes. But also you. I was worried about my family." He didn't bother telling her how much it hurt to hear her name spoken out loud.

"I know it hurts for you to hear her name. But, Edward, you left her. You left her when she was vulnerable. Why do you think that we've been so careful not to mention her when you call?" Esme sighed. "Edward, you are my son in all the ways that truly matter. That's why I feel justified in telling you that I don't like what this is doing to our family."

"What did Alice see?"

"It's a confusing image that comes and goes. Bella sinking and a red flame on water. Nothing more concrete than that comes through. We don't know what to make of it and we're not sure what it means."

"Esme, you said you understood why we had to go. It would be a sure way to draw off Victoria. Bella…." His voice almost cracked on the name and his heart felt a little colder. "Bella and Charlie would be safe."

"And you would see her safe even if it kills you."

"I have to. As long as she lives, there is at least some good in the world."

"And if it does kill you? What do the rest of us do then? What do you think will happen to your noble intentions if you die and Alice decides to go and tell her what happened?"

"She's stronger than I am. She'll go on."

"And if she doesn't? If she decides that this world is worth nothing without you in it?"

The thought of Bella dying nearly killed Edward. He hunched over clutching at his stomach. "Mom, I can't keep endangering her that way. I just can't do it. She would always be in danger."

"What if Victoria didn't follow us away? What if she figured that we would leave her behind to protect her?"

Esme was really asking the hard questions today. Edward wondered what was going on. She wasn't usually like this.

"Esme, what happened? Why are you doing this?"

"Someone has to remind you. Remind you of how happy you were with her. How it was always you that saved her when she needed it. Who's there to save her now?"

"Let me think about it. I'll talk to you later." He hung up and curled up on the bed, wishing that he had never left Forks. But he had never been happier to be unable to sleep because he knew what kind of dreams Esme's words would have inspired had he been able to do so.


	6. Chapter 6

Bella faced each morning now in terror and surprise. Surprise that she was still alive and terror that Charlie wouldn't be.

'Why hasn't he called me? Has he started to see me as worthless? What did I do to chase him off?'

Bella's thoughts as to Jacob's continued absence were almost enough to drive her to make a complete nuisance of herself. Something Charlie pointed out at one time.

Friday afternoon, she decided that enough was enough. She had it figured out. Sam had gotten to Jacob and kept him from her. She couldn't continue without him. Her nightmares had gotten progressively worse through the course of the week.

Now her nightmares consisted of her being raped by James right in front of Edward who then turned his back on her as Victoria drained her dry. Of course just before she died in her dreams she watched a large reddish brown wolf tear Edward to pieces.

Driving to La Push, Bella parked her truck in front of Billy's house and decided to wait until Jacob showed up no matter how long it took. But the Jacob that knocked on her window wasn't the same Jacob that she had depended on for the past several weeks and months. He wasn't the same Jacob that had patiently taught her how to ride a motorcycle.

His open, friendly smile was gone just like his long beautiful hair. His warm eyes were now filled with brooding resentment. He wasn't happy to see her and that bothered the young woman.

Four other young men were behind Jacob. Four who could have passed for his brothers.

"What do you want?" Jacob snapped.

"I want to talk to you." She felt so tiny next to the large figure that had been her best friend. The glare he gave her was almost a physical pain, like a knife stabbing into her head.

After a bit, the other four went into the house and Jake seemed to calm down a little. She led him into the trees where at least Sam couldn't be watching the two of them have their conversation.

"Let's get this over with." Suddenly his voice seemed weary. "It's not what you think. It's not what I thought. I was way off."

"So what is it, then?"

"I can't tell you." The anger was still there in his eyes.

"I thought we were friends."

"We were." Bella felt another hole form inside of her at his emphasis of the past tense. What was it about her that made her so impossible to be around? Or was he simply tired of her dependence on him to protect her after her rape? She thought he'd understood how bad things were for her. Maybe she'd been wrong. Maybe he just didn't want weak people around him anymore.

She wanted to help Jacob. She wanted her friend back. She wanted to curl up in his arms the way she used to right after the rape when she'd have a flashback. She felt her world crumbling around her but she reached for Jacob.

"Don't touch me." He cringed away from her with his hands up defensively.

Tears started from her eyes. She wiped them away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. He didn't want her blaming Sam for this. "Then who should I blame?" she asked.

"You don't want to hear that."

"The hell I don't! I want to know and I want to know now."

"You're wrong."

"Don't you dare tell me I'm wrong. I'm not the one who got brainwashed! Tell me now whose fault this all is, if it's not your precious Sam!"

"You asked for it." His voice was a growl and his eyes were hard. "If you want to blame someone, why don't you point your finger at those filthy, reeking bloodsuckers that love so much?"

His words stabbed through her as if they were swords, double-edged and sharp.

"I told you that you didn't want to hear it."

"I don't understand who you mean."

"I think you understand exactly who I mean. You're not going to make me say it, are you? I don't like hurting you." Some part of Bella laughed at that. For someone that didn't like hurting her, he did an awfully good job of it.

"I don't understand who you mean."

"The Cullens. I saw that- I can see in your eyes what it does to you when I say their name."

She heard Edward's voice now, cautioning her not to push Jake, to give him a chance to calm down.

Jacob decided not to argue with her. "Let's head back. There's nothing more to say."

"There's everything more to say! You haven't said anything yet!"

He walked away from Bella. She chased him to the truck. Spinning to face her again, she saw that his hands were shaking again. "Go home, Bella. I can't hang out with you anymore."

"Are you… breaking up with me?"

"Hardly. If that were the case, I'd say 'Let's stay friends.' I can't even say that."

"You promised. I need you!" Loneliness threatened to choke her.

"I'm sorry, Bella."

She pled with him, begging him not to give up on her. She begged him to give her a little more time. "Just don't quit on me now, Jake. I can't take it." The tears in her voice turned his expression from anger to agony in a second.

"No. Don't think like that, Bella, please. Don't blame yourself, don't think this is your fault. This one is all me. I swear, it's not about you."

"It's not you, it's me. There's a new one." She wanted to laugh, scream, to do anything but shed the tears that were boiling behind her eyes. He was turning his back on her. That was all she could see. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of emptiness.

"I'm not good enough to be your friend anymore, or anything else. I'm not what I was before. I'm not good." Jake hated to do this to her. She needed him. Charlie was the only other guy she could stand to have touch her. And even he couldn't touch her without her flinching. Only Jacob could do that. And he was walking away from the person who needed him even more than his father did. The look on her face was killing him. He wished he could cut his own tongue out for saying such things to her, even when they were true.

He all but ran into the house.

She stood there in the rain, thinking that Jacob would come back. He just had to. She stood there until Billy came to the door. "Charlie just called, Bella. I told him you were on your way home."

The pity in the man's eyes erected the tombstone on the relationship somehow. She climbed into the truck not caring that the seat was slick and wet. Not caring that she was soaked.

'_Maybe I'll just fall apart one of these days. Just crumble into pieces.'_

When she got back to the house, Charlie was waiting on the porch. He opened up her door, telling her that Billy had told him that she was upset because of a fight with Jake. Then, he looked at her face and saw THAT night all over again.

'_Please, God. Not again. Don't make her go through that again.'_ Charlie's mind shed the tears that his eyes wouldn't.


	7. Chapter 7

Weeks later, Bella was spending lots of time at La Push. It was Jake's way of protecting her. The pack knew about Victoria now and they were trying to kill her.

Standing up on the cliff where she'd once watched some boys fling themselves into the air with wild abandon, she contemplated doing the same thing.

'_Bella.'_

'_Yes?'_

'_Don't do this.'_

'_You wanted me to be human. Well, watch me.'_

'_Please. For me.'_

'_But you won't stay with me any other way.'_

'_Please.'_

Suddenly, she flung herself off the cliff into the open air. Screaming in exhilaration, she saw the water approach.

Slicing into the ice cold water, she wondered where the challenge was. Until the current caught her.

As the current threw her around under the surface, she heard Edward telling her to keep swimming. After a while she was ready to give up. She was certain that she was going to die. The water began to feel more like she was completely surrounded by his freezing cold skin. It was almost like being completely wrapped up in Edward. If this was heaven, she was ready to stay forever.

Jake wasn't ready to let her though. He pulled her from the water and saved her life.

****

After sleeping at Jake's for a while on the couch, Bella was heading home. Harry Clearwater had died that day. Jacob had driven Bella home and was talking to her when suddenly he went crazy and started driving her away.

As he turned the truck around, a car parked across the street from her house caught the headlights. Mercedes S55 AMG. She could quote the horsepower and the color of the interior. She could almost feel the powerful engine purring through the frame, almost smell the rich leather seats and see the way the extra-dark tint made noon look like dusk through those windows.

"It's Carlisle's car! It's the Cullens. I know it."

After a few moments she asked Jacob to take her back to her house. He refused.

"Take yourself back, Bella." The look on her face made him feel like he had to explain. "Look, Bella, I can't go back. Treaty or no treaty, that's my enemy in there."

He climbed out of the car and ran off to tell Sam that the Cullens were back. Bella went back to the house and, even though she was scared that this was a trick, she went inside to find Alice waiting for her.

The two of them talked for a while after Bella calmed down. Alice had seen her jump off the cliff. Bella had never surfaced in her vision so she had jumped on a plane and gone to Forks. She thought Bella had committed suicide.

"Tell me everything – start at the beginning." Bella told her what she wanted to know. Everything except the voices, the motorcycles and the most shaming moment of her life. As far as she was concerned the rape was not something Alice needed to know about. She already could see how that would play out. She would have called Carlisle and Esme who would have called Edward and told him everything.

Bella fell asleep on the couch with Alice. No one but Jasper knew that Alice had come to see what she could do. And he didn't approve. Carlisle and Esme had been on a hunting trip and Edward of course was in South America. There was no word about Rosalie and Emmett but Bella wasn't too worried about them. Emmett had always been kind to her but Rosalie for some odd reason had seemed to hate her from the word go.

****

The next morning, as Bella slept on the couch, Alice and Charlie talked in the kitchen about how she'd been after the family had left. It broke Alice's heart to hear what Bella had gone through.

"Charlie, is there something you're not telling me? It felt like there were things that Bella wasn't telling me last night when she told me about what had happened to her while we were gone."

"There are some things that only Bella should tell you." Alice didn't like the sound of that. She'd sat next to Bella all night listening to her talk in her sleep. She'd heard some things that told her something really bad had happened to her young friend while the family had been gone.

'_I guess we did absolutely no good by leaving here.'_ Alice vowed to herself to find out what it was that happened to the girl that had brought her brother to life, so to speak.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. Belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

SUMMARY: We've moved deep into New Moon. Alice is back in Forks after having had a vision of Bella cliff diving. But does she know about the rape?

*****

Jacob was standing on her porch. Alice had disappeared out the back windows. His friends were sitting in a car out by the curb as if watching out for him.

"Where's your 'friend'?"

"She had some errands to run. Look, Jacob, what do you want?"

She watched his long arms quivering as he walked into the kitchen. When she asked what his problem was his tone was cold. "I don't like having to be here." He could have done less damage if he would have simply reached out and slapped her face.

She winced and his eyes tightened. "Then I'm sorry you had to come. Why don't you tell me what you need so you can leave?"

He wanted to ask her a couple of questions before he had to get back for the funeral. He wanted to know how long Alice was going to be there. "As long as she wants to be. It's an open invitation." She was being snippy and she knew it.

"Do you think you could… please…explain to her about the other one – Victoria?"

"I told her about that."

"You should know that we can only watch our own lands with a Cullen here. You'll only be safe in La Push. I can't protect you here anymore."

Then he asked her if the rest of the family was coming back. She told him they weren't. He was leaving when she all but collapsed against the counter burying her face in her hands. She was so scared that Jacob was never going to want to talk to her again. There was no good way to get through this.

"Bella …?" Jacob asked. She looked up to see that he was hesitating in the kitchen doorway. She didn't even realize that she'd started crying until she saw the clear drops in her hands.

He stepped back to her upset that he'd once again broken his promise. But what was he supposed to do? She wanted to have both him and the vampires in her life. His purpose in life was to kill and destroy vampires.

"Bella, did you tell her about what happened in Port Angeles that night?" he asked after wrapping his arms around her.

"No. I can't. She feels bad enough about them leaving the way they did. I can't hurt her like that." Bella's tears broke Jake's heart.

"Why are you afraid to tell her?"

"Because then she'll either tell Carlisle and Esme who would then call Edward or she'd call him herself. I don't want him coming back here out of guilt. If he comes back, which I doubt, I want it to be because he wants to."

They talked for another minute or two about the fact that Jake didn't think himself even-tempered enough to be around Alice without killing her. When she tried to pull back from him for saying that he just tightened his arms around her. "There's no point avoiding the truth. That's the way things are, Bells."

"I do NOT like the way things are."

He tipped her head up to look at him and agreed with her on one point. "Yeah. It was easier when we were both human, wasn't it?" He lowered his face as if he was going to kiss her.

Bella felt a panic well up inside of her. _'I can't do this. Not now. It's too soon.' _But another part of her was shouting just as loudly. _'He could be mine. He's already my safe harbor. The one who knows all about what happened. Edward's not coming back. There will be no fairy tale ending.'_

That part of her wondered if it would be easy to kiss him – like holding his hand or having his arms wrapped solidly around her. Maybe it wouldn't feel like betrayal. After all, the only one she was betraying was herself. Edward had made his decision.

Jacob's face descended toward her and she couldn't make up her mind.

Then the phone rang.


	9. Chapter 9

Sitting in his hotel room, Edward looked at the little silver cell phone. He was thinking of calling Bella. _'I can't keep living like this. I need her in my life. The past six months were hell without her.'_

He was still debating the issue when the phone rang. Picking it up, he looked at the ID. It was Rose.

"Rose?"

"Edward. She's gone. She's dead." Rosalie's voice was flat. He wasn't certain why that fact bothered him.

"Who's dead?"

"Bella. Alice saw it. Bella jumped off a cliff and died. She drowned."

Well that explained the tone. Rose never had liked Bella. "Rose, tell me this is just your twisted idea of a joke and that Alice didn't see any such thing." His own voice had gone totally cold.

"Emmett and I were standing there when she had the vision, Edward. I wouldn't kid you about this. I know how you feel about her."

Edward felt a gaping wound rip through his chest. If Bella was dead then nothing was left for him. It wasn't worth going on. He flipped the phone closed and took a deep breath.

Flipping it back open, he dialed the all too familiar number and waited. "Swan residence." He didn't recognize the voice.

"I'd like to speak with Charlie Swan please. This is Dr. Carlisle Cullen." He didn't think that Carlisle would mind him borrowing his name for just a little bit.

The voice on the other end turned menacing. "He's not here."

"Where would he be? When can I reach him?"

"He's at the funeral." Edward wanted to die. He wanted someone to tear him apart and set him on fire. It was true then. Edward flipped the phone closed and headed for his door.

Walking down the street in the dark, he tossed the phone in the trash. He wasn't going to need it where he was going.

****  
Bella wasn't happy that Jake hadn't let her talk to Carlisle. She would have loved to hear his voice again even just for a moment.

Jake took off for the front door. Bella followed only to trip over his legs as she fell after running into him. She pulled herself to her feet to follow him only to see Alice standing completely still at the foot of the stairs.

"Bella." The young woman in question scrambled to her friend's side. Alice's eyes were dazed and far away. Her body trembled.

"Alice, what's wrong?"

The eyes focused on Bella abruptly, wide with pain. "Edward."

Bella felt the room start spinning and then the stairway tilted oddly. She felt her body seek the relief of unconsciousness before she could process the implications of Alice's word in relation to the look on her face.

The next thing Bella knew she was laying on the couch which was shaking as if an earthquake were going through the room.

"What did you do to her?" he demanded. But Alice wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Bella? Bella, snap out of it. We have to hurry."

"Stay back," Jake warned her.

"Calm down, Jacob Black. You don't want to do that so close to her."

"I don't think I'll have any problem keeping my focus."

"Alice? What happened?"

"I don't know. What is he thinking?"

Despite her dizziness, Bella tried to pull herself up. That was when she realized that it was Jacob that was shaking not the couch.

"Rose, I need to talk to Carlisle NOW."

"He hasn't gotten back yet, Alice."

"Fine, as soon as he's back. I'll be on a plane. Look, have you heard anything from Edward?"

"I called him. I called him and told him about the vision."

"Why? Why would you do that, Rosalie?"

"I thought he was finally free of her. And I thought that you would have called him by now."

"Well, you're wrong on both counts, though, Rosalie, so that would be a problem, don't you think?"

"You mean, she's not dead?"

"Yes, that's right. She's absolutely fine. I was wrong… It's a long story."

"But he made the decision to leave her. He said it was for her own protection, Alice."

"You're wrong about that part too. That's why I'm calling."

"You saw her jump off the cliff. You saw that she didn't surface."

"Yes, that's exactly what I saw."

"Alice, I'm sorry. I guess we just rely too much on your visions."

"It's a bit late for that, Rose. Save your remorse for someone who believes it."

After she snapped the phone shut, Bella told her that Carlisle had called and Jacob had talked to him. When she found out that Jacob had told him that Charlie was at the funeral, Alice moaned and fell to her knees. "That wasn't Carlisle on the phone."

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"It was Edward. He thinks you're dead."

"Rosalie told him I killed myself, didn't she?"

"Yes. In her defense, she did believe it. They rely on my sight far too much for something that works so imperfectly. But for her to track him down to tell him this! Didn't she realize … or care?" Her voice faded away in horror.

"And when Edward called here, he thought Jacob meant my funeral."

"You're not upset."

"Well, it's really rotten timing, but it will all get straightened out. The next time he calls, someone will tell him … what…really…"

"Bella, Edward won't call again. He believed her."

"I. Don't. Understand."

"He's going to Italy." Bella's world collapsed in one beat of her heart. She remembered when he had told her that he wasn't going to live without her. He'd told her that since he knew that Emmett and Jasper wouldn't have helped him he would have gone to Italy and provoked the Volturi.

"NO!" she shrieked.

"He made up his mind as soon as your friend confirmed that it was too late to save you."

"But he… he left! He didn't want me anymore! What difference does it make now? He knew I would die sometime!"

"I don't think he ever planned to outlive you by long."

"What do we do?" she begged Alice. "Can't we call him? Can Carlisle?"

"That was the first thing I tried. He left his phone in a trash can in Rio – Someone answered it…"

"You said before we had to hurry. Hurry how? Let's do it, whatever it is!"

"Bella, I-I don't think I can ask you to…"

"Ask me!" Bella commanded.


	10. Chapter 10

"We may already be too late. I saw him going to the Volturi and asking to die." Bella blinked feverishly at the tears that suddenly blinded her. As Alice continued, Bella realized that she was implying that they should go to Italy and try to stop Edward from forcing the Volturi to destroy him.

"Let's go!"

"Listen, Bella. Whether we are in time or not, we will be in the heart of the Volturi city. I will be considered his accomplice if he is successful. You will be a human who not only knows too much, but also smells too good. There's a very good chance that they will eliminate us all – though in your case it won't be punishment so much as dinnertime."

"This is what's keeping us here? I'll go alone if you're afraid." Alice could almost see Bella doing the computations to see how much money she had and if it would be enough.

"I'm only afraid of getting you killed."

Bella snorted in disgust. "I almost get myself killed on a daily basis! Tell me what I need to do."

Bella proceeded to follow Alice's instructions and leave a note for Charlie while getting Jake to promise to protect him.

Of course, the last thing Bella wanted to see was exactly what was happening when she walked back down the stairs. Jacob was angry that Alice was taking Bella to the city where the very essence of the vampire kind lived. As he put it, Alice was taking Bella to them like a bottle of wine for a party.

Bella had always known that Jake was very protective of her and it had only gotten worse since the rape. She just didn't realize exactly how bad it could get.

As they left the house, Jake begged her again not to go. She could see the fear in his eyes. The fear that she would have a nightmare and Edward or Alice wouldn't understand what was going on. The fear that it would happen to her again without him there to protect her.

She wouldn't tell him that she understood that he felt guilty for her getting hurt in the first place. She knew that he blamed himself for the rape. He thought that he hadn't done enough to make her happy that first day.

"Take care of Charlie, Jake. Protect him for me."

"You don't have to do this."

"I do. My heart is dying. I have to make him see that nothing is worth it if he's not here."

"I'll protect Charlie. At least until you get back."

"Thank you, Jake. Thank you for everything."

"Protect yourself, Bells. Come back safe."

"I promise." She ran for the car. Alice was getting impatient.

****  
Three days later, Edward, Alice and Bella were on a flight home. Bella was fighting against heavy eyelids and winning for the moment. Edward just wanted her to go to sleep and she didn't want to. After everything they'd seen in Italy, she knew that the nightmares would return. She wasn't ready to explain the nightmares that had plagued her for two and a half months to the one person in the world that made it all seem insignificant.

Sea-Tac airport saw the touching reunion between Alice and Jasper. Carlisle and Esme were waiting in a quiet corner. Esme thanked Bella with a fierce if awkward hug. Then she wrapped her arms around Edward. "You will NEVER put me through that again."

"Sorry, Mom.

"Thank you, Bella. We owe you."

Bella incoherently denied it and was immediately noticed by Esme. Edward had his mother's help to practically drag Bella out of the airport. Emmett and Rose were leaning against a black sedan.

"Don't. She feels awful."

"She should."

"Not 'er fault."

"Let her make amends. We'll ride with Alice and Jasper."

With a long-suffering sigh, Edward and Bella got into the car with Rose and Emmett. Rose tried to apologize to Edward but he just cut her off. Bella accepted her apology only to have Emmett say that it didn't count until she was conscious.

Bella finally lost the fight. Her eyes closed and she slept peacefully in Edward's cold embrace.

"Bella!" Charlie's voice cut through her sleep.

"Charlie." She was trying to wake up.

"Shh. It's okay; you're home and safe. Just sleep."

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show your face here.

"Stop it, Dad."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She's just very tired, Charlie. Please let her rest."

"Don't tell me what to do! Give her to me! Get your hands off her!"

Edward tried passing Bella to her father but her locked, tenacious fingers refused to let go of Edward.

"Cut it out, Dad." She managed to drag her lids open enough to stare at Charlie with bleary eyes. "Be mad at me."

"You bet I will be. Get inside."

"Kay. Let me down."

Edward carefully sat her on her feet. He felt his heart break as he watched her try so hard to walk into the house on her own. As she fell forward, he darted in and gathered her back into his arms ever so gently. "Just let me get her upstairs. Then I'll leave."

At Bella's panicked cry of "No!", Edward dropped his volume low enough that Charlie couldn't have heard his whispered promise. He wasn't going far.

The last thing she felt was Edward's cool hands prying her fingers from his shirt.


	11. Chapter 11

Almost a week later, Bella, Alice and Edward were sitting in the living room watching the movie "Underworld". Bella was getting tired. It had been a long week with trying to get everything worked out with Charlie who still wanted Bella to stay away from Edward and was doing everything in his power to keep them apart.

Unfortunately, he couldn't prevent the two of them being together at school. That was where Edward started noticing exactly what Alice had tried to tell him on the flight back from Italy. Something was wrong with Bella and she wouldn't talk about it.

How could he not notice the way she now walked down the hall with her arms wrapped around the books she clutched to her chest with her head down and not looking around? She was never far from him except in gym class where at least Alice was always with her. She wouldn't talk to Jessica, Lauren or even Angela. Mike, Tyler, Conner, Eric and Ben couldn't even get near her without her shying away. Edward would notice the brief look of terror dancing across her face. She hid it well from everyone else but him and Alice.

Little did he realize that Rosalie knew what was going on. She knew exactly what had happened to Bella. She knew because it had happened to her.

As the three of them watched the movie, Alice and Edward laughed at the portrayal of vampires and werewolves. All of a sudden, Bella yawned again and Edward slid off the couch. "Lay down, Bella. Be comfortable. I promise that if you fall asleep I'll wake you up before we have to leave."

Bella was too tired to argue with him and stretched out. Edward pulled the light comforter from the back of the couch and covered her. She lay there trying not to fall asleep. She didn't want to miss not one minute of time that she had with Edward outside of school.

It didn't work. She was asleep before another five minutes had passed. Edward watched as Bella got restless. She was moving around on the couch. He knew that Charlie would get mad if he picked her up and cradled her against his chest.

Charlie walked in from the kitchen when he heard her start crying in her sleep. "Wake her up. Please wake her up." The tears were building in his eyes.

"No. Please don't. Please. Please let me go." Her whimpered pleas tore at Edward's heart.

Alice reached out a hand and put it on her shoulder. She couldn't move for a minute and Edward realized that she was seeing something. "Poor Bella. To have gone through so much and then I came and hurt her more."

The two were connected and Alice was seeing absolutely everything that had happened to her that night when she had gone into Port Angeles alone. Edward looked into Alice's mind and saw what happened.

Alice shook herself a moment later and realized what she had seen. She shook Bella's shoulder so gently that it almost didn't wake the young woman on the couch. Suddenly, Bella sat upright on the couch, screaming.

Alice jumped up to sit next to her friend on the couch. She wrapped her arms around Bella and pulled her in close. Bella looked up and saw the guilt on Edward's face just before he turned and stormed out of the house.

Bella buried her face in Alice's shoulder and sobbed hard. Edward couldn't even look at her now.

"He hates me!" she whispered in Alice's ear.


	12. Chapter 12

"Bella, no. He doesn't hate you. He's angry with himself for leaving you and allowing such an awful thing to happen to you. He's mad because he didn't protect you." Alice tried soothing her young friend while her thoughts were going to her brother outside.

Charlie suddenly realized exactly why he hadn't heard his daughter screaming in the night for the past week. Edward had been holding her in her sleep. That's the only possible explanation for her sleeping through the night for the first time in two months.

Walking out on the porch as Alice tried to comfort Bella, he saw Edward standing at a far corner of the porch with his head against the support. "Edward, I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

"Yes, sir?" He hadn't turned to face Charlie yet.

"I'm guessing that somehow you figured out what happened to my daughter. You and Alice are scary with your special abilities. I want you to know that originally I held you responsible. I blamed you for leaving my daughter. Bella never did though. Three days after it happened, Bella told me that at least for a moment it was as if you were still here. I didn't know what she meant by that. I still don't."

"Bella should hate me right now. If I had never left this wouldn't have happened. I should have been here to protect her."

"What should have been and what is are two different things, Edward. The point is that you're here now to help her through things. At least you can hold her. That's more than I've been able to do since it happened. I've been scared that she'll have a flashback. The only other person she seems to be able to tolerate having anywhere near her is Jacob and there was a little while there that Jacob wasn't around much."

"Tell me, Charlie. Please."

"I'll tell you if you tell me the truth about one thing." When he realized he had Edward's undivided attention, he asked his question. "You've been sneaking back into the house after I go to sleep and holding Bella haven't you?"

"How?"

"She hasn't woken up screaming all week. She seems much calmer when you're around. She doesn't dread going to sleep anymore. Just the truth."

"Yes. I feel like I have to be close to her all the time. Even the little time that we're apart at school for gym class makes me feel like a piece of me is missing. I made a mistake in leaving. It's not one I intend to repeat. EVER."

"All right. I believe you. And since it helps her, I'll let the sneaking into the house slide."

"Tell me."

"She had gone to Port Angeles with Jessica on Friday. The next day she spent almost the whole day with Jacob. I thought it was kind of strange that she said something after dinner about meeting Jessica in town for a late movie. About 2:30 the next morning, the hospital called. Apparently, she'd made it inside and told the nurse what had happened before passing out." Charlie hung his head. "She was unconscious when the hospital called me. They told me what had happened and I called Jacob. I wasn't about to let her drive home in that condition. On the way there, I told Jacob what had happened and he started shaking with anger."

'It's a good thing that the first transformation hadn't happened then. Bella would have had to deal with losing Charlie and a rape all at once.'

Charlie noticed that Edward was gripping the railing on the porch hard. "Son, I know how you feel. But could you please not take it out on my porch. I've had to replace a couple of sections of the railing because of Jacob as it stands."

Edward grimaced as he noticed that several sections of the railing were definitely newer than others. He removed his hands and shoved them deep into his pockets. "Sorry."

"I understand completely. If I had known who did this to my daughter, I would have probably tracked them down and shown no mercy." Charlie shook his head. "There were days when she went to school and I would get a call to come get her because she started screaming in class or something. I finally just told the school that if she had any problems to let her come home. I wanted to tell them what had happened but Bella begged me not to. She said that she couldn't stand the humiliation of anyone else knowing what had happened to her."

Charlie took a deep breath. "One afternoon, she'd made it all the way through the day and said something that puzzled me. She walked into the house and said, 'I wish Jasper were here. That would make it easier to control my emotions at school.' I didn't know what she meant. Do you?"

"My brother, Jasper, seems to have a calming effect on folks that are upset. She knows that. I've told her many times and she's been around him before. She always feels calmer after she's been around him for a while."

"Is he back? Maybe he could help her once in a while."

Edward smiled. "I think Carlisle and Esme have decided to come back. Esme doesn't like L.A. much. She says it's too crowded. So I guess the whole family's coming back." He chuckled weakly. "I think that Carlisle missed the small town life himself, even though he won't admit it."

"I know the hospital will be more than glad to have him back. I think you're family is good for this town."

"Thank you, sir. I want you to know that I will do my best to protect Bella from now on."

"I trust you with her, Edward. I only want what's best for my little girl."

"As do I, Charlie. I can only hope that I'm what's best for her."

"All right then. I think my daughter needs some assurance now that you don't hate her."

Edward nodded and walked back to the door.


	13. Chapter 13

"Alice, he can't stand to look at me right now."

"That's only because he thinks that you should hate him for leaving and letting this happen to you. He's so mad at himself right now that he wishes the Volturi hadn't turned him down."

"I could never hate him. I can't tell him this but I went into Port Angeles that night because the night before I did something that he would have disapproved of and heard his voice. It was like he was right beside me telling me not to do what I was doing. I thought maybe if I went to the place where he rescued me that one night I'd hear his voice even clearer. And when I jumped, I only did it because it kept his voice in my ears. I kept hearing him tell me to keep on swimming. He didn't want me to give up. But the water was so cold that it almost felt like being wrapped up in him completely. Part of me wanted to let go and just stay there, wrapped in the cold of his embrace for all time. Another part of me wanted to fight but just could find the energy."

"You were too cold."

"I guess it was a good thing that Jacob pulled me out of the water. But, Alice, I still feel so broken. I can't sleep without him nearby. Why? Why is it that he can hold me? Him and Jacob are the only two I don't flinch away from. I even have to concentrate just to hug my dad."

"You said Jacob's body temperature is higher than normal now, right?" At Bella's nod, Alice continued. "Maybe it's that their body temperatures are so different from the ones who did this to you. Maybe that's why. Your mind doesn't associate them with the ones who hurt you because the temperature's not the same."

Bella shrugged sitting back. "I don't know. It sounds right. But part of me just cringes every time he walks out of here. Some small part of me is afraid that he's going to leave me again. I don't think I could survive that."

"You don't have to. I can tell that he has made his decision. The only way he'll leave you now is if you tell him to go. And you aren't going to do that anytime soon."

"No way." She smiled at Alice. Then her face fell. "He saw it didn't he?"

"Sorry. I didn't have time to block him. He picked it right out of my head."

"It's okay. He would have found out sooner or later."

"Would it be alright with you if I told the rest of my family what happened? Just so they know not to sneak up on you?"

"Yes. You can make sure that Emmett knows not to sneak up on me." Bella started giggling as they both imagined Emmett getting knocked flat by Edward for scaring Bella.

"I'll go as soon as Edward comes back in."

"You can go now, Alice. Charlie talked some sense into me. Tell Esme and Carlisle that I'll be home later." Once Alice left, Edward sat down with Bella and wrapped her in his arms. "Charlie knows that I've been coming back after he goes to sleep. He doesn't mind it as long as all I do is hold you." Edward brushed his lips gently across her forehead.

Gathering her up in his arms, Edward carefully walked toward the stairs knowing that Charlie was watching. What Charlie didn't see was that Bella was back to sleep before Edward reached the top of the stairs.

****

Alice arrived home with a heavy heart. She knew that Rosalie had seen something in Bella recently that hurt. And now she had to tell them all what had happened to the weakest member of their family.

She walked through the door to find Esme waiting on her. "Alice? Is everything okay?"

"Not really, Esme. I have something to tell everyone. Can you get them all into the living room?"

Esme knew something was really wrong and she hurried off to gather her family.

Once they were all gathered in the living room, Alice started her story. "Our leaving did nothing to help Bella at all. In fact, for the first four months that we were gone, Charlie says she was nearly catatonic. But then she started living again. She went with one of her human friends to a movie in Port Angeles. She decided to go back the next night and she was …" Alice couldn't say it. She couldn't say that vile word.

"She was raped, wasn't she?" Rosalie's voice was subdued, almost lost.

All Alice could do was nod. "Since then, she can't stand to have anyone with a normal human body temperature touch her. She even flinches when her father tries to hug her."

"Wait a minute. You said anyone with a normal human body temperature?" Emmett's question rang true on the faces of everyone else.

"Right. Apparently Bella couldn't live a normal life. She quickly befriended a pack of wolves. Quileute wolves." Carlisle's face fell.

"What does that have to do with Bella?" Jasper asked from his place at Alice's side.

"Apparently she was friends with one of them before his first change. He can hold her and so can Edward. Neither one has a normal human body temperature."

"How can she stand to be that close to a dog?" Emmett asked in disgust.

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that while we weren't here she had someone that could help her. We need to help her now. Emmett, you won't be able to play any pranks on her for a while." Rose took charge and no one argued with her.

After all, she was the one with the best insight on how to help Bella.


	14. Chapter 14

DISCLAIMER: Nope I don't own them. I sure can dream though.

SUMMARY: Edward and the rest of the family now know what happened to Bella in their absence. How can they help her deal with it?

* * *

Three days after finding out about Bella's rape, Emmett and Rose were silently accompanying Edward and Bella through school. No one seemed to notice the two of them shadowing the couple.

Rose wanted to help Bella as much as she could. She knew what the poor girl was feeling. She remembered how helpless she had felt when it had happened to her.

Bella knew they were there and she knew what they were trying to do. It made her feel a little better knowing that no one would be able to get that close to her.

Walking down the hall going to lunch, Bella wasn't really expecting Mike to try to get her attention.

"Bella? Hey, Bella." She felt the hand wrap around her arm. Before she could truly react to the feeling, Mike was torn away from her. She huddled down beside the lockers along the hall. She was shaking her head and covering her ears.

"Not again. Not again." She pressed her face against the cold of the lockers as Edward and Emmett stood side by side in front of her, growling at Mike who was sitting on his butt about thirty feet down the hallway.

Rose knelt in front of Bella, placing her cool hands on Bella's wrists. "Bella. Bella, I'm here. You're safe." Her anxious tone got through to the frightened young woman. Bella moved into Rosalie's open arms.

"What in the hell is wrong with you, Cullen?" Mike yelled standing up. "I was just trying to talk to her."

Rose stood up with Bella wrapped safely in her embrace. Jasper was waiting off to one side. Rose was stroking Bella's hair and murmuring soothingly to the frightened teen.

"Bella, is alright if Jasper comes over here?" Bella nodded and Rose looked up at her brother. "It's alright, Jazz. Come on over. You can help calm her down."

"What's wrong with her?" Tyler asked, staying well back.

"You just stay back." Emmett was growling and Edward was just watching.

"I am, man. I just want to know what happened to her."

Angela took a deep breath. "I've seen shows on this sort of thing. She was --- raped, wasn't she?"

The look Rose sent her made Angela take a step back. "When?" Angela whispered.

"Two months ago." Alice was standing beside Angela. She knew what Rose was doing and couldn't actually blame her but Alice wanted them to know why they couldn't just grab Bella like that.

"Raped?" Mike sounded incredulous. "Not Bella. Something like that couldn't happen to Bella."

"Well it did. And not one of you paid attention." Rose was livid. There had been signs. She knew that there had been signs. Just the way Bella walked down the hall. The fact that she didn't sit in the cafeteria when lunchtime rolled around unless it was a sunny day. She would have always eaten where others weren't.

Rose held Bella a little tighter and Jasper had his hands on her shoulders. Bella was starting to calm down. _'Thank God for Jasper's gift!'_

"Truer words, Rose," Edward said. Of course he'd heard her thoughts. It was something he did all the time. No questions were asked. He walked over to Bella and wrapped her gently in his arms, pulling her from Rose.

"Emmett, Rosalie, what are you two doing here?"

"Hello, Mrs. Cope. We thought we'd come in with Edward and Bella and see some of our old teachers. I hope that's not a problem." Emmett was trying to distract her.

"What's going on here?"

"Edward Cullen went crazy and threw me down the hall." Mike said, glaring at the one in question.

"That wasn't Edward. I did it. He grabbed Bella's arm and she's still trying to deal with …" He couldn't say the word. It was just too awful. He was part of Bella's extended family but he hadn't been able to protect her.

Bella looked up at Emmett. "I was raped." She took a deep breath. "I was raped two months ago in Port Angeles and Mike grabbed my arm without saying anything first. It scared me and Emmett and Edward just reacted. They're both very protective of me." She pulled out of Edward's arms and walked over to where Emmett was standing with his head down. Rose stood beside him now, trying to get him to calm down. Bella laid one tiny hand on his big arm.

His eyes met hers and she swore that if he'd been human he'd have been crying. "If we don't say it, it doesn't go away. We have to deal with the fact that it happened and move on. I guess I haven't done a very good job of that. But maybe we can all work together to get through this."

"We should have stayed."

"Maybe that's true. Maybe not. Maybe this all happened to make me a stronger person. Or maybe to strengthen the bond between all of us. We just have to deal with it. It happened. We'll make it through this together."

Emmett opened his arms and Bella stepped into his embrace. "You are quite the human, Bella," he whispered in her ear.


	15. Chapter 15

Bella entered her home that night a different person. She had made a decision and she was going to follow through on it.

"Dad, can we talk?" she asked, not certain how her dad was going to take this.

"Sure, Bells. What's up?"

"I want the guys that raped me arrested. Before they can do this to someone else. If they haven't already."

"What brought this on?"

"I was thinking at school today and I realized that if these guys get put in jail then maybe I can start getting over this whole thing and move on with my life. Maybe I could stop hurting you."

"You're not hurting me, baby."

"I see it in your eyes every time I flinch away from you but then curl up with Edward or Jacob. It hurts you that you can't touch me without me thinking about that night and I want that to stop. I hate hurting you."

"Bells, listen."

She interrupted him. "There were four of them that night. Two of them were built about like Edward. The other two were about Edward's height but built more like his older brother, Emmett. They had all been drinking. It wasn't the first time these guys had come up to me. But the first time Edward had been there to save me. He wasn't there this time and they did what they had wanted to do the first time they caught in that parking lot. I don't think that any of them were much over 20, maybe 25 at the oldest."

Charlie wanted to cry as Bella told him this. He didn't want her to relive the night that saw her the victim of one of the most heinous crimes on the books.

"They pinned me against the truck and started groping me through my clothes. But before long, that wasn't enough. They started tearing off my clothes and that was when I went numb. I remembered in one self-defense class that Mom had signed me up for that if a guy comes after you like that, the best way to survive is to just lay still. Most of the time the assailant wants a fight. He wants to dominate. That's what I did. I just let them move me however they wanted. I hid inside my mind and went limp under their control. Besides, I knew that with four of them there, I wouldn't be able to fight back. I didn't want to die. The next thing I knew they were insulting me as they pulled their pants back up and walked away, leaving me naked in the bed of the truck. They said some pretty nasty things but at least I was alive. That was when I dragged myself out of the back of the truck and pulled on what clothing I could. I remembered driving past a hospital on my way into town. I went there and you know the rest of the story."

Tears were rolling down Charlie's face. He hadn't called Renee yet to tell her about what had happened. Bella had known that if he did Renee wouldn't hesitate to come and take her to Florida and she'd never truly get over this.

"Dad, I want them in jail where they belong. There's no telling how many others they've done this to. Or how many more might suffer the same thing I am but with no one to help them."

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

"I'll go back to that parking lot. I had stopped there to get my bearings for a moment that night. You and Jake will be nearby to catch them. Maybe Quil and Embry would come too. That way all of them would be caught and punished."

"I don't like the thought of putting you in that situation. And I'm guessing that would be the reason you didn't mention Edward."

"He'd never let me do this. Sometimes he just wants to wrap me in a cocoon to see me safe. I have to do this, Dad."

He held his arms open for the daughter he loved so much. As she walked into his embrace, he hugged her for just a moment. "I love you, Bella. I'll see what we can do. When do you want to do this?"

"This weekend. I don't want to wait any longer than necessary. I want to start putting this whole thing behind me."

"I'll call Jake and talk to him right away. I'll also call the Port Angeles Police and see if they'll help us set this up."

Bella reached up and kissed her dad's cheek. "Thank you, dad. I love you."

'It's a good thing Edward can't read my mind and that he's going hunting in the morning.'


	16. Chapter 16

The next night everything was in place. Bella was going to go to the parking lot and the guys were hoping that the sleazebags that raped her would show up. Quil and Embry were dying for a fight and Jake just wanted to knock them around a little for what they had done to his friend.

Bella walked into the parking lot and looked around as if she was lost.

"Hey, boys, check it out. This pretty little thing got lost."

Bella almost froze at the sound of the familiar voice from just behind her. Instead, she spun around to face the man who had been her first. Her fear overwhelmed her and she started backing away from the guy.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. It won't hurt as much this time. We broke you in good the last time you were here."

He and his buddies started laughing until there was a monstrous growl from one side of the parking lot. Emmett and Edward came charging out of the bushes and, in a matter of seconds, had the four laying unconscious on the pavement.

Edward knelt in front of Bella where she had fallen when the assault started. "Bella? Bella." He looked up at Emmett. "She's in shock."

He gathered her up in his arms. She simply locked her arms around his neck and buried her face. "Whose idea was this?" he demanded as Charlie and the boys walked up to them.

"It was hers, Edward. I tried to talk her out of it but she was determined that she could do this. I brought Jacob and the boys with me so that she would be protected."

"Charlie, I'm going to take her back to my house for tonight. I'll calm down and come talk to you in the morning. After I've made certain that she's alright."

Charlie could do nothing more than nod. He knew that it had been wrong to allow Bella to try this. But at least they could lock these boys up now. They wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else.

****

"How could they allow this? Her father knows better. How could he put her through this?" Edward was fuming and his grip subtly tightened on the young woman in his arms.

"Edward, watch your grip." Emmett knew that his brother would never intentionally hurt Bella but his anger was putting a strain on his self-control. Emmett was worried about Edward.

It had been a frantic phone call from Esme that had drawn them back to Port Angeles. Alice had seen what was going to happen. She had seen the black form over Bella's future. The wolves had been there. That explained why Alice hadn't been able to see what happened.

But it was what she'd seen happen after the fact that had caused the phone call. Bella was so disappointed in herself that when she got home she had run off into the woods in tears. She fell; fell so far. When she landed, Alice had seen her unconscious and hurt so badly.

She'd heard the words Bella had cried as she ran. "Edward, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm such a coward."

Alice had fallen to her knees, sobbing. She couldn't let that happen to Bella. Esme had called Edward in fear. She was afraid that Bella would have gone to Port Angeles to try to help catch the men who had hurt her so badly.

Edward and Emmett had ran for the town in almost a blind panic. Edward was determined to protect her. Emmett was just as determined. Edward had arrived first being able to find the thoughts of the wolves gathered to help bring down these men.

"Edward," her whispered voice had his attention in an instant. "Your grip."

He looked down to see the fact that his grip had tightened on her. "Sorry." He loosened his grip. He looked into her eyes. "Tell me the truth, Bella. Whose idea was it to try that?"

"My dad wasn't lying. It was all my idea. I thought that if I could face my fears and deal with it, I might be able to get over this and move on with my life. I just couldn't. When I realized that they were all around me again, I just froze. I'm such a coward. I'm sorry, Edward."

"My brave little fool. Do you really think I could believe you a coward? You have been violated in a way that no one should be. Then, you come up with a plan to try to put the men that did this to you behind bars to help yourself put this behind you. Even to the point of making sure that you didn't say anything about it until just as I was leaving to go hunting. You did everything to try to beat your fear. You, my dear, could never be counted as a coward."

"You're angry with Charlie."

"Very. He should never have allowed you to convince him that this was a good idea. He should have set something else up. Never put you in that position."

"Don't be angry with him. He just wanted me to be happy."

He pressed his cold lips to her forehead. "As do I, my dear. As do I."


	17. Chapter 17

Arriving back at his house, Edward immediately took Bella to his room only to find the small couch there cleared off already. He lay the precious package in his arms down and covered her gently with a blanket.

"Emmett, will you stay with her? I need to talk to Alice."

"I'll stay," Emmett nodded, settling into the chair in the corner.

"If she starts having a nightmare, just take her hand. The difference in temperature should convince her that she's safe."

"No problem, Edward."

But just moments after the door shut behind Edward, Bella started getting restless. Emmett gently took her hand in his. "Bella. Bella, it's okay. You're safe." He brushed a hair back from her face before carefully laying one hand against a cheek. "You're so warm. No wonder Edward says that being close to you is like being close to a fire. Don't burn him, Bella. Please don't burn him." Emmett felt sad for his brother, knowing that Edward was in for a long fight to protect the fragile human he loved.

****  
"Alice, tell me what you saw." Edward was trying to be patient with his sister. He just wanted to go back to Bella.

"I don't know what was supposed to happen in Port Angeles. All I know is what I saw happening afterward. She and Charlie pulled into the house and she got out of the car. Bella walked into the woods. Charlie stood there for a moment watching her go. It was as if he knew that she had to face this on her own. She turned at the edge of the woods and looked at him so sadly. Then she took off running into the woods. Edward, she was crying as if her heart had been broken."

She looked so dejected that Edward reached out a hand to settle on her shoulder. "Take your time, Alice. She's safe now."

"She kept crying. Crying that she was sorry that she was such a coward. That you deserved better than a cowardly little human. Suddenly, she tripped over something and fell into what looked like a ravine. It wasn't very deep but when she fell she was hurt badly. There was blood and she was unconscious."

Jasper put his hands on her shoulders. She felt only marginally calmer. "I just couldn't help it. That's when Esme found me on the kitchen floor. After I explained to her what happened, she called you. Edward, I'm sorry. So sorry that I didn't see it sooner so that you could stay and not have to rush back."

"Alice, it's okay. I made it back and Bella is safe here with us."

"I didn't see what she was planning."

"That's because she decided to involve the wolves from the start. That's what blinded you." He smiled sadly. "She's getting more and more clever. She made sure that you wouldn't be able to warn me about this little plan of hers."

"I'm sorry, Edward." Alice would have been in tears if she'd been able. "Is she really safe? Really?"

Edward sighed. Sometimes his sister was so much like a little child that he forgot just how old she really was.

Edward moved his hand to Alice's cheek. "Would you have cleaned off the couch in my room if you didn't believe that I would bring her safely here?"

Alice giggled. Edward knew that she was relieved that Bella would now be okay.

****  
Emmett was watching over the girl on the couch. She'd been restless almost since Edward left the room. Rose had poked her head in twice to see how Bella was. He wasn't sure what he could do to help her.

The door eased open and Edward slipped inside. "How is she?"

"She's been crying in her sleep. Edward, she's so frightened. I just don't know how to help her."

"Don't worry, Emmett. She's safe now and we just need to be here so that she knows that we will protect her."

"Edward!" Bella cried out as she sat bolt upright on the small couch. Her eyes were wide open but it was as if she couldn't see where she was.

Edward was by her side and wrapping his arms around her almost before the word was completely out of her mouth. He pulled her in close to him and held her as tight as he dared.

The door opened and Esme, Rose, Alice and Jasper stood in the doorway. Edward just wasn't sure what to do to comfort Bella.

Rose walked in and sat down on a stack of books beside the couch. "Bella? Are you okay?" she asked putting one hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Looking up at Rose from her place in Edward's arms, Bella just nodded. "Thank you, Rose. I know you don't really like me much."

"Regardless, I never should have been so cruel. Edward loves you. He was miserable without you and I can see that now. I'm sorry that I caused so many problems for you. I never should have called him about Alice's vision until I'd checked here first. It was selfish and petty."

"You wanted your brother back. And I have to admit that I'm more than a little selfish myself when it comes to Edward. I –" She looked at everyone else. "Can I have a couple of minutes alone with Rose?"

"Of course. We'll just be down in the living room." Esme ushered everyone else out of the room.

"What is it, Bella?"

"I was just wondering. You don't have to answer the question. What made you change your attitude toward me?"

"It started when I realized what Edward was going to do when he heard that you died. I'd never seen him like that over anyone else. The final straw though was when Alice told us what had happened to you. You see, I can sympathize with you. I was raped too. Before I was changed. In fact, it's what caused Carlisle to change me."


	18. Chapter 18

After talking about the rape that had caused Rosalie's change, Bella felt a little better about her situation. She also understood why Rose didn't want her to become a vampire.

"So part of you wants to live vicariously through me?" Bella asked.

Rose shrugged. "I guess. Can we be friends?"

Bella nodded and reached out her arms to the blonde on the side of the couch. "We can be friends. After all, we actually understand each other better than anyone else can understand us."

Rose nodded sadly before accepting the hug Bella offered. Alice opened the door. "Don't forget me," she whispered.

"Come on in, Alice." Bella held out one arm to her other "sister" as she came over to the couch and sat down next to Bella. Rose wrapped one arm around her. The three of them sat there together for several minutes just holding on to each other, drawing strength from each other.

****

Bella had fallen asleep in the arms of her "sisters". Rose gathered her up and stretched her out on the couch. Alice spread the blanket over the young woman their family had adopted. Alice stepped out of the room to see Edward heading for the door.

"Is she okay?" he asked.

"She is. Or at least she will be. Just hold her tonight. She needs you more than she lets on."

"Alice, what do we do when she has to go into court? What if we can't go with her because of the sun?"

"Edward, the day the trial happens will be overcast and anyway the garage is underground. We won't have any trouble accompanying Bella into the courtroom. Just go to her."

Edward nodded and walked into the room. Rose stood up and walked toward the door. "Rose?"

"Yes?"

"You've earned my forgiveness. Thank you for helping with Bella. I just don't know what to do. You can relate to what happened to her."

"Just be careful with her, Edward. Any sudden moves can send her into a panic. Remember how I was right after Carlisle changed me. Think of how careful you had to be around me then. Be even more careful with Bella. I think she's going to be okay but let's err on the side of caution."

Edward smiled and nodded. "Thank you again, Rose."

"I'm going to go find Emmett. His hunting trip got cut short and I think I know how to make it up to him."

Edward chuckled. He knew exactly what Rose would do to make Emmett feel better about not getting to finish his hunt. "Good luck. You might want to take him away from the house for that though. You know he gets kind of loud."

Rose laughed and ran off to find her sometimes husband.


	19. Chapter 19

Edward sat on the floor beside the couch all night with his head resting next to the woman he loved. _'I need to get a bed so that I can hold her close to me.'_

The next morning saw Bella stretching slowly as she got up off the couch. "Are you okay, Bella?"

"A little sore. That couch isn't very comfortable." She arched her back a little as she stood up.

Edward walked over to her and started rubbing the small of her back. As he rubbed, she felt the tense muscles relaxing. Once her back was finally loosened up, she turned around, leaning into him and kissing his cold, smooth cheek.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "Are you ready to go back to your place?"

"As long as you're with me." She snuggled into him a little closer. "I suppose Charlie will be worried about me."

"Not when you're with me. He knows that I'll protect you."

The two of them walked into the garage only to see Rose and Emmett walking in. "Nice time last night?" Edward asked with one eyebrow raised.

Rose just smiled and Emmett was wearing an ear-to-ear grin, which only faded slightly as he focused on Bella. "Are you okay this morning, Bella?"

"I'm fine, Em. Thanks for asking."

"We're heading to Charlie's. Rose, will you take care of something for me while we're gone?" He handed her a small slip of paper.

Rose opened it and nodded after she read it. "I'll take care of it."

Edward nodded and climbed into his Volvo.

****

Pulling up in front of the house, Bella got out with only a little tremor when she remembered how Edward had carried her away from the parking lot. She was sure that Charlie wasn't going to be happy when she walked into the house.

Bella opened the door and Edward followed her in. "Bells, are you okay?" Charlie asked wrapping her in a bear hug.

"I'm okay, Dad. Edward and his family took good care of me last night." Charlie stepped back and Edward put his hands on her shoulders. "You aren't mad about last night, are you?"

"Edward was just protecting you. Of course, he didn't give you a choice in the matter. I tried to talk you out of it but you refused to listen to me. I'm not mad. I was worried that you would freeze up on us. Jake was too." Taking a deep breath, Charlie continued. "He wants you to call him. Wants to make sure that you're alright."

"He knows that I was with Edward. But I'll call him." She walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone. Punching in the familiar phone number, she felt a sense of foreboding. "Hi, Billy. Is Jake there?"

"He's out right now, Bella. I think he said something about coming over to your place today to see how you were doing."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll talk to you later." She hung up and walked back into the front room just in time to see Jacob's red Rabbit pull up out front. "Edward, he's here."

"I'll be right here if you want to go out and talk to him."

Bella nodded and stepped out on the front porch. "Hey, Jake. Sorry about last night."

"It's cool. I told your dad that something like that might happen. Are you --?"

Bella laughed. "You're like the fifth person to ask me that today. I feel like I should take out an ad in the paper saying that I'm fine."

"You're smiling, laughing even. That's something I've missed." Jake reached out and feathered a light touch down her cheek. Leaning forward, he brushed a kiss against her forehead. "Can I hug you?"

She nodded and stepped into the embrace. Jake gently wrapped his arms around his friend and she leaned into his chest. "This is nice."

"He's inside isn't he?"

"Yes. But he promised me he'd let us talk." Jake let her go. The two of them sat down on the front steps.

"Bella, what happened to your arm?" Jake had noticed the bruises on her arm from Edward's grip the night before.

"It's nothing, Jake."

"He did this to you didn't he?" Jake started shaking. "Answer me, Bella. Did Edward do that to you?"

Suddenly, Bella wasn't on the porch anymore. She was beside Edward's car in his arms.

"Jacob, don't. You could have killed her."

"Jake, please. He didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident. He was holding me; he got a little upset over the situation in the parking lot. His grip was just a little tight." Bella was pleading with him to calm down. She didn't want this to end up in a showdown between the two of them. Meanwhile, she was hoping that Charlie didn't come out on the porch.

Jake was still shaking. "He hurt you."

"Jake, please calm down. You'll hurt Charlie. Please. I'm begging you."

Suddenly, Sam Uley walked out of the woods. "Jacob. Now."

Quil and Embry walked up to their friend and stood between him and Edward who had pushed Bella behind him. Bella had tears in her eyes. That was the final factor. Jacob leapt off the porch and ran into the woods.


	20. Chapter 20

Charlie walked out the front door just a moment later. "Where's Jake?"

"He had to go. The guys came and got him for something or other." Edward draped an arm around Bella's shoulders as she talked.

Charlie nodded. "Do you two have any plans for today?"

"Actually, Dad, I wanted to talk to you. About what happens next. With the case."

"Come on in. I'll answer what questions I can." The two of them followed him into the house and sat down in the living room with him.

"How long do you think it'll take to get the trial set up?"

"Bells, you don't actually have to be in the courtroom. We can do a videotaped testimony if it would be easier on you."

"Dad, it's like I told Emmett the other day. If I don't face up to what happened, I'll never get past this. I can't let this rule my life. Besides, I'll have you and the Cullens in the courtroom with me."

"They're all coming?"

"Esme said she couldn't let Bella go through this without as much support as we can give her. Carlisle agreed and Rose wants to be there just because she's been where Bella is. She just never got the chance to see justice done. Jasper plans on being there because he's such a calming influence. Alice just loves Bella like a sister and Emmett won't be too far from Rose." Edward's explanation defined each of his family. "Of course, I'll be right beside Bella the whole time if she wants me to be."

Bella curled her legs under her on the couch and leaned into Edward. "Of course, that's what I want. You are my strength, Edward. Now and always."

"Bells, I'm going to ask for Jake since apparently he forgot to. Is it alright if he's there too?"

"He has to be there, Dad. If there's one thing about all of this I do know, it's that he'll have to be there just to testify to the damage that was done that night. He was there with you when you picked me up and he took care of me when you had to work. He helped me to start to pull myself back together. He'll have to testify."

She felt Edward's nerves go taut against her. She lightly squeezed his hand, knowing what he was thinking. She could almost picture it herself. Jacob would get mad and start to shake. He'd change and all hell would break loose in the courtroom. Who knew how many people would get hurt.

"It's not just that, Bella. He wants to be there. For you."

"I know. And I love him for that. He's been so good to me and I just don't know what I ever did to deserve it."

"You are just a good person, Bells. Don't forget that. No matter what anyone else says, you're a good person." Charlie reached out and ruffled his daughter's hair as she lay in the arms of the man she loved.


	21. Chapter 21

Just days later, the prosecuting attorney called Bella. They were ready to start preparing her for the questions that would be asked at the trial. Bella was nervous, understandably so. After all she was about to face down the men that had almost destroyed her life.

Her father reminded her just before she left to talk to the attorneys the first time that she didn't have to actually be in the courtroom for this. "I know, Dad. But I _need_ to do it this way. I have to face these men and make sure that they understand that I'm not going to run from them." She smiled at him. "But thank you for trying to protect me."

"It's one thing that I'm very good at." Then, he looked at his daughter carefully. "Most of the time."

Bella just threw her arms around her dad and hugged him. "I'll see you later, Dad." She ran out the door to get in the truck and head over to the offices.

****

"Miss Swan, my name is Justin Ford. I'm going to help you prepare for the questions that both sides will be asking you at the trial. Now, of course, our side, the prosecutor, is going to try to be careful of your emotions and try to emphasize the fact that these men hurt you and humiliated you. The defense, on the other hand, will try to make everything seem to be your fault and they will be vicious at times. Are you going to be alright with this?"

"I'll be fine. I have my family behind as well as two other families that love me as one of their own."

"And who is this gentleman beside you?"

"This is my boyfriend and the greatest source of my strength. Edward Cullen." Edward felt so humbled by her words that he simply took her hand. "It's because of him that I have the strength to face these men and what they did to me."

"I take it his family is one of the ones supporting you in this matter?"

"Of course. My parents look at Bella as one of their own children. They would do anything for her."

"Miss Swan, you do know that he won't be able to hold your hand when you testify?"

"Of course. But he won't be far away and I'll be able to see him the whole time."

"And if I told you that he shouldn't be in here while we prepare you?"

"I'd tell you you're crazy. I don't want him surprised by any of the questions that you or the defense might ask during the trial. He can handle this as well as I can."

"All right. Then let's begin. Of course, the first few questions we'll ask you will be easy. You'll be asked things like your full name, age, if you have a job. Simple questions that you should answer honestly. But remember, the best thing to do is not to go into any detail unless it's asked for. Let's try a few." He took a deep breath. "State your name please."

"Isabella Marie Swan."

"And how old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Do you currently attend school?"

"Yes."

"At which school and in what grade?"

"Forks High School. I'm a senior."

"Do you have a job at the current moment?"

"I work part-time at Newton's Olympic Outfitters."

Smiling, Justin sat back in the chair. "Very good. Of course, as I said earlier, it gets harder from here."

****

Several days later, Bella was exhausted. Justin had been very thorough in preparing her for the questions she would be asked. In fact, Edward would have said almost too thorough.

There had been more than one instance where Edward had been on the verge of picking up Bella and spiriting her away from the lawyer. He was worried that she was pushing a little too hard and Justin was taking advantage of her desire to put these guys away.

****

Bella and Edward had gone to see Bella's mother in Florida. Of course she hadn't told her mother what had happened to her two months prior and Edward wasn't going to say anything either.

But Renee did wonder why it was that the bed in the guest room was never slept in and yet Edward seemed well-rested every morning. She was more observant than Bella gave her credit for. Bella thought about the conversation that she and her mother had the morning she left to return to Forks. "There's something… strange about the way you two are together. The way he watches you – it's so … protective. Like he's about to throw himself in front of a bullet to save you or something."

"That's a bad thing?"

"No. It's just different. He's very intense about you … and very careful. I feel like I don't really understand your relationship. Like there's some secret I'm missing …"

Of course that statement had made Bella really nervous. She didn't realize just how much her mom saw. "I think you're imagining things, Mom." She'd never thought about the fact that Renee's simple view of the world cut through all the distractions and pierced right to the truth of things.

"It's not just him. I wish you could see how you move around him."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you move – you orient yourself around him without even thinking about it. When he moves, even a little bit, you adjust your position at the same time. Like magnets or gravity. You're like a satellite, or something. I've never seen anything like it."

If only she knew what kind of hell her daughter had been through in the past several months. It made Bella glad that Renee and Charlie didn't talk more about things that were going on with their daughter.

* * *

When they got back, Bella had a surprising welcome from Charlie. He was glad to have her back because, in his words, "The food around here sucks when you're gone."

She was heading for the kitchen to start supper when her dad stopped her. "Would you call Jake first? He's been bugging me every five minutes since six o'clock this morning. I promised I'd have you call him before you even unpacked."

"Jacob wants to talk to me?"

"Pretty bad, I'd say. He wouldn't tell me what it was about – just said it was important." The phone rang and Charlie was certain it was Jake.

Bella answered it. "Hello?"

"You're back."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you call me?"

His angry tone instantly irritated Bella. He didn't even bother to ask how the trip had been first. "Because I've been in the house for exactly four seconds and your call interrupted Charlie telling me that you'd called."

"Oh sorry."

"Sure. Now, why are you harassing Charlie?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Yeah. I figured out that part all by myself. Go ahead."

"You going to school tomorrow?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno. Just curious."

"So what did you want to talk about, Jake?"

"Nothing really, I guess. I … wanted to hear your voice."

"Yeah. I know. I'm so glad you called me, Jake. I …" She wanted to go see him but she knew that Edward wouldn't like that any.

"I have to go."

"What?"

"I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"But, Jake –" He left her with the dial tone.

"Is everything all right?" Edward asked, his voice low and careful.

"I don't know. I wonder what that was about."

"Your guess is probably better than mine."

"Mmmm." Of course, that was true. She knew Jake inside and out. She just couldn't figure this out. There was something Jake wasn't telling her. _'That's it. The key isn't in what he said. It's what he __didn't__ say. Now I just have to figure that out.'_

Suddenly, her fingers lost their grip on the package of frozen hamburger she held. Before her mind even registered what had happened, Edward had caught the meat and thrown it on the counter before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"What's wrong?" She just shook her head. After all, she and Edward had discussed the whole situation with the trial coming up and Victoria looking for her.

She had made her decision a while back to become a vampire. Carlisle had convinced her to wait until after graduation. But she knew that when she did become one she would be in the throws of the conversion for three days. _'Oh no. He was seeing if I was still human. Making sure that the treaty wasn't broken. Did he honestly think that I would come home to Charlie if we had done that?'_

"Bella?" Edward was getting really anxious.

"I think he was checking," she mumbled. "Checking to make sure. That I'm human, I mean."

Edward was angry but he still tried to comfort Bella. At least until Charlie walked into the kitchen. "If you don't want to make dinner, I can call for a pizza.

"No, that's okay. I'm already started."

"Okay." Charlie propped himself against the doorframe to watch. She tried to ignore him as she made dinner.


	22. Chapter 22

"If I asked you to do something, would you trust me?" There was an edge to Edward's soft voice as they approached the school. Just a moment ago, he'd been relaxed and joking. But now his hands clenched the steering wheel, straining with the effort not to snap it into pieces.

"That depends."

"I was afraid you would say that."

"What do you want me to do, Edward?"

"I want you to stay in the car. I want you to wait here until I come back for you."

"But …why?" Suddenly, she saw him. As if she could miss him towering over the students the way he did. Let alone leaning against his black motorcycle, parked illegally on the sidewalk.

"Oh."

The mask on Jacob's face was one that she knew well. He was determined to keep his emotions in check, to keep himself under control. It was the face that bothered her. It wasn't HER Jacob when that face was in place.

"You jumped to the wrong conclusion last night. He asked about school because he knew that I would be where you were. He was looking for a safe place to talk to me. A place with witnesses."

"I'm not staying in the car."

"Of course not. Well, let's get this over with."

As they walked toward Jacob hand in hand, his face hardened. Bella noticed her classmates taking in all six feet seven inches of him.

A few yards away from Jacob, Edward stopped and Bella knew that he was uncomfortable having her so close to a werewolf. He pulled her slightly behind his body. "You could have called us."

"Sorry," Jake sneered. "I don't have any leeches on my speed dial."

"You could have reached me at Bella's house of course."

"This is hardly the place, Jacob. Could we discuss this later?"

Ignoring Edward, Jake turned his attention to Bella. "Are you okay? Any nightmares lately?"

"No, Jake. But thank you for worrying about me. Are you going to be okay in the courtroom?"

"The rest of the pack will be there with me in order to help me keep control. The question is will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll have Charlie. Of course, you'll be there and the Cullens will be there too."

Edward was eager to get this over with. "I already know what you came to say. Message delivered. Consider us warned."

"Warned? What are you talking about?"

"You didn't tell her? What, were you afraid she'd take our side?"

"Please drop it, Jacob."

"Why?"

"What don't I know? Edward?" The two of them glared at each other. "Jake?"

Jake proceeded to tell her that Emmett and Paul had almost gotten into a fight over the weekend that she and Edward had gone to Florida. She was immediately angry and worried over both side and Edward was quick to assure her that everyone was fine and everything was calmed down.

Jake then wondered, "You didn't tell her anything at all, did you? Is that why you took her away? So she wouldn't know that -?"

"Leave now."

"Why haven't you told her?"

Bella saw Mike and Ben standing with Tyler and Austin. Mike's hand was on Ben's shoulder as if he were keeping him in place.

Suddenly she understood. There was something that Edward didn't want her to know but that Jacob wouldn't have kept from her. That same something had the Cullens and the wolves in the woods together in very dangerous proximity to each other. She was gasping for breath as she realized that the event she'd been waiting for to happen had finally come to pass. "She came back for me."

Edward turned slightly, keeping himself between Jake and Bella while stroking her face with anxious hands. "It's fine. It's fine. I'll never let her get close to you. It's fine." Glaring at Jacob, he continued. "Does that answer your question, mongrel?"

"You don't think Bella has a right to know? It's her life."

"Why should she be frightened when she was never in danger?"

"Better frightened than lied to."

Not only did she have to worry about the trial now, she had Victoria hunting her. "Do you really think hurting her is better than protecting her?" Edward murmured as he wiped the tears from her cheek with his fingertips.

"She's tougher than you think. And she's been through worse." Jacob's expression shifted and he stared at Edward with an odd look.

Edward cringed and when she glanced up at him, his face was contorted in what could only be pain.

"That's funny," Jacob laughed as he watched Edward's face.

"What are you doing to him?"

"It's nothing, Bella. Jacob just has a good memory, that's all."

"Stop it! Whatever you're doing."

"Sure, if you want. It's his own fault if he doesn't like the things I remember, though."

"The principal's on his way to discourage loitering on school property. Let's get to English, Bella, so you're not involved."

"Overprotective, isn't he? A little trouble makes life fun. Let me guess, you're not allowed to have fun, are you?" Not like Jake could blame him for being overprotective.

"Shut up, Jake." Bella knew that he was just agitating Edward. He was just as overprotective of her as Edward was.

"That sounds like a no. Hey if you ever feel like having a life again, you could come see me. I've still got your motorcycle in my garage."

"You were supposed to sell that. You promised Charlie you would."

"Yeah right. Like I would do that. It belongs to you, not me. Anyway, I'll hold on to it until you want it back." The taunting went on for a few more minutes before the principal showed up and Jake left making Bella feel like she should have done more to make him feel like he still mattered to her.

Bella wasn't sure she could handle this Jake. He wasn't the Jake who had saved her from herself while Edward had been gone. He wasn't the one who'd held her after her nightmares and soothed her when she cried because she couldn't get close to anyone after the rape. This was a different Jake. This was the pack's Jake.

She was certain though that she'd see her Jake at the trial, which would be starting in just a few days.


	23. Chapter 23

Just a week later, the trial was set to start. Since she wasn't needed at work the day Edward went hunting with Carlisle, Esme and Rose, Bella had spent part of the day at La Push against Edward's wishes. She went to help Angela with her graduation announcements afterward. But they'd had a not-so-pleasant talk about it when he got back from hunting.

In the end, Bella had apologized for making Edward worry and he forgave her. But something about the way he'd been with her for that moment made her think that maybe he might just be jealous of Jacob.

Of course, because Bella had done that, Edward made arrangements for Alice to shanghai Bella for the weekend so that he could hunt in peace in Northern California with Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle.

Bella was miserable that her plans to spend a day with Jacob had been circumvented so precisely but she couldn't blame Alice. Especially not after she explained that Edward had paid her off to do it. With a canary yellow Porsche 911 Turbo just like the one she'd stolen in Italy.

Alice was so happy about the Porsche that Bella couldn't stay mad at her for long. Although the offer she made was actually kind of tempting. "I'm not supposed to drive it around Forks, but if you want, we could see how long it takes to get from here to LA. I bet I could have you back by midnight."

Just moments later Bella realized that this bribe wasn't just for the two days this time. It was for every time that he left.

Later that night Bella called Jake with the hope that he wouldn't be out running with the pack for the night. Luckily, Jake answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jake. It's me." Alice watched the call with expressionless eyes for just a moment before turning and going to sit between Esme and Rose on the couch.

"Hi, Bella. What's up?"

"Nothing good. I can't come over Saturday after all."

"Stupid bloodsucker. I thought he was leaving. Can't you have a life when he's gone? Or does he lock you in a coffin?" At Bella's laugh, he continued. "I don't think that's funny."

"I'm only laughing because you're close. But he's going to be here Saturday so it doesn't matter."

"Will he be feeding in Forks then?"

"No. He left early." Bella was trying not to get irritated with Jacob. After all, she was pretty angry with Edward herself.

"Oh. Well hey, come over now then. It's not that late. Or I'll come up to Charlie's."

"I wish. I'm not at Charlie's. I'm kind of being held prisoner."

"We'll come and get you," he promised with a growl slipping into the pack plural automatically. Bella could almost see him shaking as he tried to control himself.

"Tempting. I HAVE been tortured- Alice painted my toenails." Her tone had become light and teasing, trying to calm him down.

"I'm serious."

"Don't be. They're just trying to keep me safe. I know it's silly but their hearts are in the right place."

"Their hearts!" he scoffed.

"Sorry about Saturday. I've got to hit the sack but I'll call you again soon."

"Are you sure they'll let you?"

"Not completely. Night Jake."

"See you around."

Before Alice made it to Bella's side to take back her phone, Bella was dialing another number.

"I don't think he'll have his phone on him."

"I'll leave a message." When the phone rang four times followed by a beep, she spoke. "You are in trouble. Enormous trouble. Angry grizzly bears are going to look tame next to what is waiting for you at home." Snapping the phone shut, she put it in Alice's waiting hand. "I'm done."

Alice and Bella walked up the stairs. When Bella opened the door to Edward's room, she was sure she'd opened the wrong door. A bed sat in the middle of the room.

After Alice had left, Bella grabbed the pillow and the coverlet from the bed and curled up on the floor, leaning against the window. She knew that she didn't want to sleep. She knew that the nightmares would be there, waiting for her when she closed her eyes.

She didn't even wake up when Rosalie slipped into the room to put her in bed.


	24. Chapter 24

The next morning, Alice drove to school as Bella, feeling sleep-deprived, stared out the windshield grumpily.

"Tonight we'll go out to Olympia or something. That would be fun, right?"

"Why don't you just lock me in the basement and forget the sugar coating?"

"He's going to take the Porsche back. I'm not doing a very good job. You're supposed to be having fun."

The day was guaranteed to be hellishly long and lonely. And that just meant that she had more time to think about the nightmare she'd had the night before. The one that made her wake up seven different times.

As English class let out, Bella wasn't real enthusiastic about anything. Mike stood at the door holding it open for her.

"Edward hiking this weekend?" he asked sociable as they walked out into the light rain. He made sure that he kept a little distance between them, remembering what had happened the day he'd grabbed her arm without knowing what had happened to her.

"Yeah."

"You want to do something tonight?"

"Can't. I've got a slumber party."

"Who are you –"

A loud roar interrupted Mike's question and suddenly a black motorcycle screeched to a stop at the edge of the concrete. Jacob was waving to her from his seat urgently. "Run, Bella!"

Bella froze for just a second before she understood. "I got really sick and went home, okay?"

"Fine."

"Thanks, Mike. I owe you one!"

Jacob revved the engine as Bella jumped on the back and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Just before she caught sight of Alice frozen at the edge of the cafeteria with fury in her eyes and her lip curled back over her teeth.

Bella would get to spend part of the day with Jacob. And all because Alice couldn't see the wolves.

****

Of course, when would anything in Bella's life be simple? They started talking about the fact that Bella was going to become a vampire. Jake wasn't happy about it.

"Will you never forgive me, Jacob?"

"You won't be Bella anymore. My friend won't exist. There'll be no one to forgive."

"That sounds like a no. Is this goodbye then, Jake?"

"Why? We still have a few years. Can't we be friends until we're out of time?"

"Years? No, Jake, not years. Weeks is more accurate." Soda suddenly covered Bella as if it had flown from a hose. "Jake!"

Bella's tongue froze in mid-complaint when she noticed that Jake's whole body was quivering in anger. A growl built in his chest as he glared at her wildly.

Bella had the sudden flash of Emily's face. She watched as the shaking rolled through Jacob, getting faster until it looked like he was vibrating. His shape blurred and Bella could almost feel the claws raking her face.

Jacob clenched his teeth together and the growls stopped. His eyes squeezed shut in concentration and the quivering slowed until just his hands were shaking.

"Weeks. He's going to change you into a filthy bloodsucker in just a few weeks!" The words hissed from between his teeth.

Bella had never really been afraid of Jake until just then. She just nodded.

"Of course, Jake. He's seventeen. And I get closer to nineteen every day. Besides, what's the point in waiting? He's all I want. What else can I do?"

"Anything. Anything else. You'd be better off dead. I'd rather you were."

She couldn't move. The pain from those words hurt worse than almost anything else she'd ever felt. Bleakly she climbed to her feet. "Maybe you'll get lucky. Maybe I'll get hit by a truck on my way back."

She grabbed her motorcycle and pushed it out into the rain. Jacob didn't move. She climbed on when she reached the small muddy path and kicked the bike to life.

She got absolutely soaked as she sped across the slick highway toward the Cullens' house. The wind felt like it was freezing the rain and her teeth were chattering before she was halfway there.

When she walked the bike into the humongous garage, she wasn't surprised to see Alice waiting for her. "I haven't even had a chance to drive it."

"Sorry."

"You look like you could use a hot shower."

"Yep."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

"Do you want to go to Olympia tonight?"

"Not really. Can't I go home?" When Alice grimaced, Bella caved. "Never mind, Alice. I'll stay if it makes things easier for you."

"Thanks."

Bella went to bed early that night.


	25. Chapter 25

"Edward, I don't know what that mongrel wolf said to her but Bella was nearly in tears when she came back and she wouldn't talk about it." Alice was still furious with Jacob for hurting Bella. "And she's had nightmares. I think she had them last night too but the ones tonight are leaving her screaming."

"I'll take care of her, Alice. Thank you for trying."

Edward walked up to the room, almost dreading the pain he would see her in. When he opened the door to see her thrashing around on the couch, he hurried to her side. Gently, he gathered her in his arms and carried her to the bed where he lay down next to her and held her tightly without any blanket in between them. He wanted her to feel the cool touch of his skin against her, hoping that that would stop the nightmare.

She curled into him and sighed in her sleep. He relaxed as he realized that she was now sleeping peacefully for the moment.

Suddenly, Bella stretched, rolling over. She rolled back trying to see where she was. "Sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Both of them waited for the fury on each other's part as well as their own. It didn't come.

She reached out and wrapped herself around him craning her neck for a kiss. His arms encircled her, cradling her to his chest. They held on to each other as if they were drowning and the only way to stay alive was to cling to each other.

They talked for a while and then Bella confessed to Edward that she'd gone to La Push. Edward decided that he should trust in Bella a little more. If she said she was safe with Jacob then Edward would believe her.

"So did you make plans to go back to La Push again soon?"

Her body went tight and her voice locked up. Edward misunderstood. "Just so that I can make my own plans. I don't want you to feel like you have to hurry back because I'm sitting around waiting for you."

"No. I don't have plans to go back."

"Oh. You don't have to do that for me."

"I don't think I'm welcome anymore."

"Did you run over someone's cat?"

"No. I thought Jacob would have realized … I didn't think it would surprise him. He wasn't expecting … that it was so soon."

"Ah."

"He said he'd rather see me dead." Her voice broke and tears fell from her eyes.

He gently crushed her to his chest and whispered to her. "I'm so sorry."

"I thought you'd be glad."

"Glad over something that's hurt you? I don't think so, Bella."

Bella cried quietly in Edward's arms for a few moments before he asked the question she didn't want to answer. "Is that what caused the nightmare tonight?"

She nodded and then buried her face against his chest. She didn't want to tell him just how bad the nightmare was.

"Tell me. Please." She shook her head. "Bella, they say that if you talk about a nightmare it doesn't come back."

"Edward, it was so awful. It was the day the trial started. I was on the stand testifying when a window shattered and Victoria jumped into the courtroom. As she lunged to attack me, Jake had jumped in front of me. He was shaking and then he changed. I caught a claw to the face when he changed because he was so close to me. Victoria attacked him before he was fully changed. She didn't kill him though. 'I want everyone who cares about you to see your long and painful death'. He was lying there on the floor as she came after me. 'I don't care about her. She wants to become a filthy bloodsucker'. Jacob was so mean. She grabbed me by the shoulders and ripped my shirt off my shoulder."

Bella's tears were falling and she was shaking so hard that if one didn't know better they'd think she was a werewolf about to change. "Bella, love." Edward's quiet voice soothed her enough to continue.

"Just as she was about to sink her teeth into me, all of you rushed her. But an army of other vampires flooded the courtroom. They stopped you guys and the pack was suddenly fighting. They were being slaughtered. I saw everyone ripped apart. Alice, Jasper, Rose, Emmett, Carlisle, Esme." Her voice broke again. "They didn't kill you though. She watched as they forced you over to watch. She laughed at your efforts to get free to save me. 'Mate for a mate,' she laughed. Then, she did it. She sunk her teeth deep into my shoulder, drinking deeply. At one point she pulled away. She wiped her hand across the bleeding wound and smeared it across your face. I could see the struggle on your face. Part of you wanted to lick it off and part of you was horrified." Bella stopped for a moment to bring herself back under control. "She went back to drinking me. You were still fighting to get free but by the time you had freed yourself from the others it was too late. The only way you could have saved me was to change me. But you wouldn't. You begged me to forgive you but you couldn't do that to me."

"Bella, my love, you have no need to fear such a thing. In a situation like that, I would change you in a heartbeat. I would give you as much of my own venom as possible to make the change. Carlisle has given me his word that he would help me if it came to that." He smiled and she could almost hear it in his voice. "Besides I think the wolves could more than handle themselves against Victoria and any army she decides to bring after you. You, my girl, are probably the safest person in town right now. Because you have my family as well as a whole wolf pack defending you. We've even reached an uneasy truce until we find and destroy Victoria. We will keep you safe."

"I trust you. I'm just scared. Part of me wants to face them again. Just not while I know that Victoria's hunting me. Another part of me just wants to hide for the rest of forever."

Edward squeezed her just a shade tighter and kissed the top of her forehead. "Just remember that I will not let anything happen to you as long as I can prevent it. And I have six other vampires standing beside me with the same thought. Not to mention the fact of several wolves who would be more than happy to shred that loathsome creature for fun."

"I know. And I love all of you for standing with me. But I can't help but be scared. How many other people would have to deal with a rape trial along with the knowledge that there is a deranged vampire hunting them? How many people could get hurt, even killed by someone they consider a friend? And know it? How many people can say that they know that some of these 'mythical creatures' such as werewolves and vampires exist and Hollywood has them completely wrong?"

Bella was starting to get worked up and Edward didn't want that. Later that morning he had to watch her go back to her house and be unprotected for a short while. What if someone was waiting there for her? The Volturi? Victoria? Who would protect her for those few short hours?

'Edward, don't worry. Emmett's all ready in place to watch over the house from the woods. She'll be fine for an hour or two.'

"Relax, love. You are safe. And I don't ever want you to forget that. Just rest for a little longer." He kissed the top of her head again and started gently rubbing her back. She curled back up in his arms, safe, and slept peacefully for a couple more hours.


	26. Chapter 26

Later that morning, Alice dropped Bella back off at her house in keeping with the slumber party ruse they'd concocted for Charlie, who peeked through the front window when he heard Bella slam the car door.

"Did you have fun?" he asked as she walked in the house.

"Sure, it was great. Very … girlie."

As she wandered into the kitchen for a snack after dropping her stuff at the foot of the stairs, Charlie called out that she had a message. She found the message pad propped against a saucepan.

Jacob called. He said he didn't mean it, and that he's sorry. He wants you to call him. Be nice and give him a break. He sounded upset.

She lost her appetite right then. Turning around, she went to put her things away.

"Aren't you going to call Jacob?"

"No."

"That's not very attractive behavior, Bella. Forgiveness is divine."

"Mind your own business."

Bella put away her toothpaste and started gathering up the laundry. Stripping Charlie's bed first, she left his sheets at the top of the stairs and went after her own.

She paused beside the bed, cocking her head to the side. Her pillow was missing. She looked over the whole room.

Suddenly, she also noticed that her gray sweatshirt, a pair of dirty socks, and a red blouse were gone too.

"Dad, did you start the wash?"

"Um, no. Did you want me to?"

"No I got it. Were you looking for something in my room?"

"No. Why?"

"I can't find … a shirt… "

"I haven't been in there."

Then, she remembered that Alice had been there to get her pajamas. _'I didn't notice that she grabbed my pillow too. Then again, I kind of avoided the bed.'_ But it looked liked she'd picked up a bit while she was there.

Digging through the hamper, Bella realized that the red blouse wasn't in there. She thought there might be other things missing too.

She took her sheets and Charlie's to the laundry room. Washing machine – empty. Dryer too. She didn't understand. Crazy thoughts were starting to go through her head.

"Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Not yet."

She knelt down to look under her bed. Only dust bunnies there. She dug through her dresser. Nothing.

The doorbell rang. She heaved a sigh of relief. Edward was back.

"Door," Charlie said as she skipped past him.

"Don't strain yourself, Dad." She opened the door with a smile on her face. The smile died a quick death on seeing his expression. His golden eyes were wide, his nostrils flared, his lips pulled back over his teeth. "Edward? What -?"

"Give me two seconds," he whispered as he put a finger against her lips. "Don't move."

She stood still as he disappeared up the stairs. He returned before she had a chance to count off two seconds.

He wrapped an arm around Bella's waist and pulled her swiftly into the kitchen. He held her tight against him as if he were her shield. "Someone's been here," he murmured in her ear once they were at the back of the kitchen.

"I swear that no werewolves –"

"Not one of them. One of us."

Her fear drained the blood from her face. "Victoria?"

"It's not a scent I recognize."

"One of the Volturi."

"Probably."

"When?"

"That's why I think it must have been them – it wasn't long ago, early this morning while Charlie was sleeping. And whoever it was didn't touch him, so there must have been another purpose."

"Looking for me."

"What are you two hissing about in here?" Charlie asked as he rounded the corner with an empty popcorn bowl in his hands.

'Oh God! A vampire was here. Had been in my room. Could have killed my father.'

"If you two are having a fight … well, don't let me interrupt."

After he left the room, Edward spoke again in a low hard voice. "Let's go."

"But Charlie!"

Suddenly his phone was in his hand after a moment's thought. "Emmett." That was all Bella heard of the conversation. He hung up and started pulling her toward the door. "Emmett and Jasper are on their way. They'll sweep the woods. Charlie is fine."

When they got to the car, Bella couldn't seem to speak up. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to talk to Alice."


	27. Chapter 27

The conversation with Alice didn't help matters much. She was upset that she didn't see what was going on and Edward was upset with her because she hadn't seen who was in Bella's room.

It had gone on until Bella had whispered, "Stop it, Edward."

When he saw the look on Bella's face, the fear welling in her eyes and the lack of color in her cheeks he took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"You're right, Bella. I'm sorry. Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable."

"I understand. I'm not happy about it either."

The family relaxed then. Edward sat Bella down next to Esme who wrapped an arm around her. They started brainstorming about who could have been in Bella's room. Esme was the one who brought up the thought that whoever it had been had no intentions of hurting Bella or Charlie. Then she broached the thought that maybe this was just another vampire that had seen Bella. The family's scent was all around her. Maybe whoever it was had simply been curious but frightened to talk to the family directly because of the size.

"I don't think so. The timing of it was too perfect… This visitor was so careful to make no contact. Almost like he or she knew that I would see …"

Of course that made Bella start bringing up the thought of changing her now rather than waiting for graduation. But to her consternation the entire family resisted. They would just have to be even more careful. Not that Bella understood how that was possible.

"You won't be alone for a second. Someone will always be there. Emmett, Alice, Jasper …."

"This is ridiculous. They'll get so bored, they'll have to kill me themselves just for something to do."

"Hilarious, Bella."

As Bella set Charlie's dinner in front of him that evening, he decided to give her the message that Jake had called again. "Is that a fact?"

"Don't be petty, Bella. He sounded really low."

"Is Jacob paying you for all the P.R. or are you a volunteer?" Bella was in a foul mood and Charlie finally realized that it wasn't necessarily because of Edward. But she was thinking that it wasn't right to leave Jacob feeling guilty when she could loose the next roll of the dice.

****

The next morning, Bella decided. "I'm going to let Jacob off the hook," she warned Edward after she ate her breakfast.

"I knew you'd forgive him. Holding grudges is not one of your many talents." The easy smile he gave her almost convinced her that he was really over the whole anti-werewolf thing.

"Hello?"

"Jacob?"

"Bella! Oh, Bella, I'm so sorry! I swear I didn't mean it. I was just being stupid. I was angry – but that's no excuse. It was the stupidest thing I've ever said in my life and I'm sorry. Don't be mad at me, please? Please. Lifetime of servitude up for grabs – all you have to do is forgive me."

"I'm not mad. You're forgiven."

"Thank you. I can't believe I was such a jerk."

"Don't worry about that – I'm used to it."

"Bella, I swear I spent the whole night thinking the worst. I was so afraid that the phone would ring and it would be Charlie telling me that you had gotten into an accident on the bike and you were dead. It would have been all my fault." He sighed in relief. "Come down to see me. I want to make it up to you."

"How?"

"Anything you want. Cliff diving," he suggested laughing.

"Oh, there's a brilliant idea."

"I'll keep you safe. No matter what you want to do."

"Not right now."

"_He's_ not thrilled with me, is he?"

"That's not the problem. There's … well, there's this other problem that's slightly more worrisome than a bratty teenage werewolf …"

"What's wrong?"

"Um." Just then, Edward held out his hand.

"Bella?"

"Do you mind speaking to Edward? He wants to talk to you."

After a long pause Jake agreed. "This should be interesting."

"Hello Jacob," Edward said after taking the phone. After a silence, Edward continued to apprise Jake of the situation and get information from him about anything the wolves may have found. "Here's the crux, Jacob. I won't be letting Bella out of my sight till I get this taken care of. It's nothing personal – "

Jacob interrupted him then and Bella could hear the buzz of his voice from the receiver. Whatever he was saying, he was more intense than before. "You might be right –" Jake interrupted him again. Neither sounded angry.

"That's an interesting suggestion. We're quite willing to renegotiate. If Sam is amenable." Jake said something that caused a surprised expression to flicker across Edward's face. "I'd planned to go alone, actually and leave her with the others."

Jake spoke again, attempting to be persuasive if Bella was any judge of tone. "I'll try to consider it objectively. As objectively as I'm capable of." Another pause. "That's not a half-bad idea. When? … No that's fine. I'd like a chance to follow the trail personally, anyway. Ten minutes. Certainly." He handed the phone back to Bella.

"What was that all about?"

"A truce, I think. Hey, do me a favor. Try to convince your bloodsucker that the safest place for you to be – especially when he leaves – is on the reservation. We're well able to handle anything."

"Is that what you were trying to sell him?"

"Yes. It makes sense. Charlie's probably better off here, too. As much as possible."

"Get Billy on it. What else?" Bella was determined to protect her father as much as she could since it was her fault he was in danger in the first place.

"Just rearranging some boundaries, so we can catch anyone who gets too near Forks. I'm not sure if Sam will go for it, but until he comes around, I'll keep an eye on things."

"What do you mean by 'keep an eye on things'?"

"I mean that if you see a wolf running around your house, don't shoot at it."

"Of course not. You really shouldn't do anything … risky, though."

"Don't be stupid. I can take care of myself." Bella sighed. "I also tried to convince him to let you visit. He's prejudiced, so don't let him give you any crap about safety. He knows as well as I do that you'd be safe here."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"See you in a few."

"You're coming up?"

"Yeah. I'm going to get the scent of your visitor so we can track him if he comes back."

Chills ran down Bella's spine at the thought of Jacob fighting a vampire, especially one that might have been trained by the Volturi. What if this one had an ability to give him the edge in a fight with Jake? "Jake, I really don't like the idea of you tracking –"

"Oh _please_, Bella." Jake laughed and hung up the phone.


	28. Chapter 28

Edward insisted on leaving before Jake showed up which was annoying to Bella. "You'll be safe," he said at the door.

"I'm not worried about that."

He smiled and then a sly look came into his eye. Pulling Bella close, he buried his face in her hair. Goose bumps rose on her neck as she felt his chilled breath soak the strands as he exhaled. He laughed as if he'd just heard a good joke.

Bella went to clean up the kitchen when he wouldn't answer her. The doorbell rang and she yelled for Jake to come in. "Should you really leave your door unlocked like that?" Of course he apologized for making her slop dishwater on herself.

"I'm not worried about anyone who would be deterred by a locked door."

"Good point."

"Is it really so impossible to wear clothes, Jacob?" He was wearing nothing but a pair of cut-off jeans. "I mean, I know you don't get cold anymore but still."

"It's just easier."

"What's easier?"

"It's enough of a pain to carry the shorts around with me, let alone a complete outfit. What do I look like, a pack mule?"

"What are you talking about, Jacob?"

"My clothes don't just pop in and out of existence when I change – I have to carry them with me while I run. Pardon me for keeping my burden light."

"I guess I didn't think about that."

They joked back and forth for a moment more before Jake sighed. "I suppose I should get to work. I wouldn't want to give him an excuse to say I'm slacking on my side."

"Jacob, it's not your job –"

"I'm working on a volunteer basis here. Now, where is the intruder's scent the worst?"

"My bedroom, I think." He was obviously not any happier about that than Edward had been.

"Whew!" Jake said from just inches behind her scaring her again.

"Yeesh, Jake, cut that out!"

"Sorry. Here –" Jacob cleaned up the newest spill. "I'll make it up to you. You wash, I'll rinse and dry."

"Fine."

They talked for several minutes, Jacob being curious about Bella kissing Edward and if it bothered her. Then he asked her when exactly she was planning on becoming one of them.

"Graduation." She was whispering in the hopes of not setting him off again.

"So soon." She risked a glance at him. His eyes were closed and he almost looked like he was mourning her already.

"OW!" he shouted.

His right hand had curled into a tense fist around the blade of the knife, slicing his hand open. "Damn it! Ouch!" he complained.

Bella felt her head start spinning and her stomach threaten to empty itself. Clinging to the countertop, she took a deep breath and forced herself to get a grip.

"It's nothing, Bella. Don't worry about it." The room started shimmering around the edges just a little. Instead of taking the towel she pushed at him, Jake stuck his hand under the faucet, letting the water wash over the wound. The red color of the water made her head whirl yet again.

Just then, Jake noticed that she was pale as a ghost and chewing on her bottom lip. "Bella."

"What?"

"You look like you're going to pass out and you're biting your lip off. Stop it. Relax. Breathe. I'm fine."

"Don't be brave. Let's go. I'll drive you to the ER."

"Not necessary." Jake wrapped the towel loosely around his palm.

She grabbed his hand as she insisted that he let her look at it. Finally, he unwound the towel and laid his hand in hers. It was almost healed.

She was amazed. Jake almost laughed at her reaction. "I told you this. You saw Paul's scar."

"It's a little different, seeing the action sequence firsthand."

She grabbed the bleach out and scrubbed the floor with it, clearing the last of the dizziness from her head with the burn of the bleach. After having Jake throw the towel in the washer she rinsed the right side of the sink with bleach as well.

"Do you have obsessive-compulsive disorder?"

"We're a bit sensitive to blood around here. I'm sure you can understand that."

"Oh."

"Why not make it as easy as possible for him? What he's doing is hard enough?"

"Sure, sure. Why not?" After a moment, Jake spoke again. "Can I ask you something, Bella?" When she sighed, he pushed on. "What's it like – having a werewolf for a best friend?" She laughed out loud, caught off guard. "Does it creep you out?"

"No. When the werewolf is being nice it's the best."

"Thanks, Bella," was all the warning she got before he wrenched her into one of his bone-crushing bear hugs. The hug didn't last long. He pulled back. "Ugh. Your hair stinks worse than your room."

"Sorry." She suddenly understood what had made Edward laugh right after breathing on her before he left.

Before he left, Jake invited Bella to come to La Push and be part of a bonfire party that night. She promised to talk to Edward.


	29. Chapter 29

"Would you like to go?" Edward had obviously been eavesdropping on the conversation between Bella and Jacob.

"It's no big thing. Don't worry about it."

"You don't have to ask my permission, Bella. I'm not your father- thank heaven for that. Perhaps you should ask Charlie though."

"But you know Charlie will say yes."

Edward smiled at her. "I do have a bit more insight into his probably answer than most people would it's true."

Part of Bella was amazed at the desire she had to run to La Push and hang out with a bunch of idiot wolf-boys when there was so much going on in her life that was so much more urgent. Of course, that was the exact reason she wanted to go. She could be the more immature, reckless Bella that could laugh it all away.

"Bella, I told you that I was going to be reasonable and trust your judgment. I meant that. I you trust the werewolves, then I'm not going to worry about them."

"Wow." It was all she could say.

"And Jacob's right – about one thing anyway- a pack of werewolves ought to be enough to protect even you for one evening."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Only I hope you won't mind taking a few precautions? Allowing me to drive you to the boundary line, for one. And then taking a cell phone so that I'll know when to pick you up?"

"That sounds… very reasonable."

"Excellent."

*****

Pulling into the Cullen's garage after gaining Charlie's approval to go and calling Jake to let him know, Bella noticed the – vehicle, for it really couldn't be classified with as mundane a word as motorcycle- standing next to her bike. She had decided to take her bike back to Jake's until she no longer needed it. Then it was up to Jake what to do with it. But seeing what Edward had bought to allow her to ride almost made her feel bad for making that decision.

When he explained his thoughts on the matter, she felt a wave of insecurity wash over her. Next to Edward's bike, hers looked like a broken tricycle. Of course, that's how she felt standing next to Edward.

"The insecurity isn't necessary, Bella," Edward's voice whispered in her ear.

"I wouldn't be able to keep up with you."

"I'd keep pace with you, Bella."

Finally, he realized that this was something she shared with Jake. He was okay with it. He asked only one thing of her. He handed her the red helmet he had fished from behind the big motorcycle.

"Please?" he asked, flashing the crooked smile that always destroyed her resistance.

"I'll look stupid."

"No. You'll look smart. Smart enough not to get yourself hurt." Tossing a black shapeless thing over his arm and taking her face in his hands, he continued. "There are things between my hands right now that I can't live without. You could take care of them."

"Okay, fine. What's that other thing?" He gave her the riding jacket to put on and stepped back to look at her. He thought she looked – sexy. She thought she looked ridiculous.

"You're silly. I suppose that's part of you charm. Though I'll admit it, this helmet does have its drawbacks." He pulled the helmet off so that he could kiss her.

****

Jake was thrilled to see her again. He was even happier when he saw that she was going to put her bike back in his garage.

At the bonfire, she felt like she fit in. She wasn't treated like an outsider.

After eating, the stories began. It was the first time that Leah, Seth, Quil and Kim would hear the legends and know they were true. Billy started talking and his rich deep voice painted the pictures of the past. Billy told the story of how the tribe gained the ability to be wolves. Then Old Quil Ateara took up the history with the story of the third wife.

During the course of the evening, Bella fell asleep. She woke up to Jake shaking her arm. "C'mon, Bells. We're here."

It took Bella several minutes to realize that she was in Jacob's car. "Oh crap!" she gasped as she realized that she'd fallen asleep. "How late is it? Dang it, where's that stupid phone?"

"Easy. It's not even midnight yet. And I already called him for you. Look – he's waiting there."

"Midnight?" She noticed the Volvo about thirty yards away and reached for the door handle.

"Here." Jake handed her the phone.

"You called Edward for me?"

"I figured if I played nice, I'd get more time with you."

"Thanks, Jake. Really thank you. And thanks for inviting me. That was … wow. That was something else."

She noticed that Edward was pacing waiting for her. Jake sent her on her way and let her know that he'd be watching out for her that night.

She stumbled toward the boundary line and right into Edward's solid arms. She insisted on walking to the car even though she was stumbling even more than usual. Edward lifted her into her seat and buckled the seatbelt around her.

She was back in her world now. The world where a crazed vampire was trying to kill her and she had to relive the most humiliating night of her life.


	30. Chapter 30

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. I just want Jasper.

A/N: I changed things a little for this one. It's a bit of a catharsis. I think some of you might understand what I mean.

* * *

Three days to go until I have to face the men who had attempted to break me. Three days until I had to talk about the most humiliating moment of my life in front of total strangers. Every day that passes brings me closer to the day that my father and Edward had tried to protect me from.

I couldn't not do it though. I had to testify. It would save some other woman from being raped and tortured the way I was.

Of course, the nightmares started at that point. The first one was based on the story of the third wife that I had heard at La Push that night. I was the one who would draw my own blood to save others.

My eyes snapped open to the darkness of my room only to realize almost instantly that I was not alone. I buried my face in Edward's chest; the sweet scent of his skin chasing away the nightmare more effectively than anything else could have.

"Did I wake you?" he whispered. Something light hit the floor.

"No. I had a bad dream," I mumbled, sighing contently as his arms tightened around me.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Too tired," I murmured, shaking my head. "Maybe in the morning, if I remember."

A silent laugh shook through him before he agreed.

"What were you reading?"

"Wuthering Heights."

"I thought you didn't like that book." I frowned as I remembered his comments about the book.

"You left it out. Besides … the more time I spend with you the more human emotions seem comprehensible to me. I'm discovering that I can sympathize with Heathcliff in ways I didn't think possible before."

I drifted back to sleep.

Waking the next morning, Edward asked me about my dream but I couldn't quite get a handle on it. He relented, kissed me and left to change and get his car.

****

At school, Alice told me that we were having a graduation party. As she rambled on, Edward muttered, "Amazing. How can someone so tiny be so annoying?"

"It's a talent," Alice laughed.

"Couldn't you have waited a few weeks to tell me about this? Now I'll just be stressed that much longer."

"Bella," Alice asked slowly. As if she couldn't believe that I'd forgotten today's date. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Monday?"

"Yes. It is Monday … the fourth." She grabbed my elbow and pointed at a big yellow poster on the gym door. Graduation was exactly one week from today. And in just three days …

"It's the fourth? Of JUNE? Are you sure?"

Of course, I was scared about becoming a vampire. All I'd ever been was a human and I'd never felt like I was all that good at that either.

On the way home, I wasn't aware of much of anything except the fact that the deadline I had helped set for me becoming a vampire was approaching faster than I had thought possible. And between now and then I had to face telling strangers about the night that my innocence had been viciously torn away from me.

Edward and I sat together on the sofa for the longest time in silence. Finally, he could take no more.

"Would you please tell me what you are thinking? BEFORE I go mad?"

I'm a coward. I didn't want to tell him just how terrified I was to face these men that had humiliated me. How frightened I was to face the future I had demanded.

"Your lips are white. Talk, Bella."

"The date took me off guard. That's all." I knew that he needed more. "I'm not sure what to do … what to tell Charlie … what to say … how to …" My voice trailed off. But I was pretty sure that I mouthed the words, 'How to face them.'

"This isn't about the party?"

"No. But thanks for reminding me."

"You're not ready." He realized.

"I am. I have to be." He proceeded to tell me that I didn't have to ready because of a threat to me. He didn't want me to end up feeling like I didn't have a choice in the matter. He wanted me to want this, not feel like it was the only way to be safe.

Didn't he realize that I felt safe as long as I was with him? Couldn't he see that I could only face these things as long as he stayed with me? I still felt like he was going to disappear at a moment's notice.

I was still terrified that he would realize that I was broken and there was nothing he could do to fix me. When he realized that, would he turn his back on me? Would he abandon me when I stood before the world with my dirty secret bared for all to see?

Didn't he notice the fact that everyone at school looked at me differently? They all knew the truth. I was spoiled, tainted, whatever you want to call it. They were all afraid to approach me unless it was head on. They didn't want to scare me. They treated me as if I could shatter with the wrong touch.

Would I? Would the trial be the wrong touch, shattering me beyond repair? Was I really strong enough to do this?


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: This chapter is still from Bella's point of view. It helps me to get the thought of the pain and humilitation she's going through across better.

* * *

Two days to go. Two days before the world would know my secret. Edward and I had talked for a while about things last night. I wanted to understand why he didn't want me to be a vampire. I thought it was because he was afraid that he might get tired of me eventually and want to leave me but be unable to because he felt responsible for me.

I thought it might be because he wasn't sure if he really wanted forever with me anymore. I wasn't the innocent Bella I used to be. I wasn't a – God I can't even say the word anymore. I'm not a virgin. He is.

Our wedding night wouldn't be a special event for me. I wouldn't be giving him the only thing that I truly had to give. It had been stolen from me.

I just wasn't sure if I could really go through with this. Could I really face a courtroom full of people and tell them what these men had done to me? I wasn't sure if I could do it even with Jasper helping me to stay calm.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Angela asked me as I was standing at the sink in the girls' restroom at school Tuesday morning.

"I don't know, Ang. Graduation is just around the corner and the trial starts in just two days. I don't know if I can do this. What if Edward decides he can't deal with me anymore? I've been so clingy lately with so many bad dreams. I just feel like I'm broken beyond repair." Tears started falling and I just let them go. I hadn't truly cried over the whole thing. Not ever. My bad dreams made me cry but never the actual rape.

I slumped down onto the floor and buried my head in my hands. I was sobbing uncontrollably now and I was just really glad that Edward couldn't see me like this. It always hurt him when I cried.

Angela sat down beside me and wrapped her arms around me, just letting me cry. Letting me have my breakdown in peace.

****

I have no clue how long the two of us sat there. She didn't say a word the whole time. Eventually I slid down and rested my head on her lap, falling asleep almost instantly.

"Is she okay?" The soft lilting voice broke through my dreams but I didn't seem to care. I was too tired.

"She was crying pretty hard for a while. But I think it's something she's needed to do for a long time. I just held her and let her cry. I hope that was the right thing to do."

"Absolutely. From what I've been told she never cried over what happened to her that night. She really needed this." Was that Rose's voice I heard next? "Alice, go out in the hall and have Emmett come in and pick her up. I'm sure he'll drive them home in the Jeep. We'll take Edward's car."

I felt two large cold arms lift me off the floor. I simply held on and nestled into him. The size of the chest told me who it was even if I hadn't heard Rose identify him.

"She's okay, Edward. Just sleeping," Rose said stepping out of the bathroom to walk next to him. "I think she finally broke through her own little mental block. Angela said that they were talking about the trial and her fears when she just started crying. Angela just sat there and held her, not saying a word."

I could hear him sigh. I had worried him again. When would I stop doing that? I just hadn't wanted anyone to know just how absolutely terrified I was about this whole trial thing.

Emmett put me in the back seat of the jeep so that I could sleep with my head on Edward's lap. I felt his cool fingers running carefully through my hair and just let myself drift back to sleep, knowing that I was safe.

The last thing I heard was Edward's voice on the phone asking Carlisle if he would check me out. I guess the fact that I had cried so hard kind of scared him. I should have known he would be watching through Angela's eyes.

****

I felt myself moving again. It was almost like floating. I was held safely in two cold arms as I floated up the stairs. I came to rest on a bed so soft and comfortable that it felt like a cloud.

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?" I knew that beautiful voice. It wasn't Edward but someone I trusted just as much. Carlisle.

My eyes opened a crack and I rolled my head on the pillow to see Edward's father sitting on one side of the bed while the one I loved sat on the other side with so much love in his eyes that it almost blinded me.

"Car …. Carlisle?"

He smiled. "Yes. I want to exam you, Bella. Is that okay?" I nodded, putting one hand on my throat. It hurt so much. "Does your throat hurt?" I nodded. "That's perfectly normal. You cried for a very long time. Alice, Bella needs something cold to drink." Alice disappeared, bringing back an ice-cold glass of orange juice.

Edward helped me to sit up so that I could sip at it. No one said anything until I finished the juice. "Is that better, love?" he asked in his velvet voice. I nodded and he gently set me back down. "You had me frightened when you didn't show up for class. Thankfully, I could pinpoint Angela's thoughts easily enough. She was worried about you. I waited until you hadn't shown up for two more classes before deciding to come after you. I was watching through Angela's eyes though. I saw the whole thing."

"I didn't want you to see it. I know how much it hurts you when I cry."

"You needed it. Charlie told me that you hadn't cried over the whole thing yet. He was just waiting for this to happen and so were we. Of course, you don't know how tempted I was to just grab you out of Emmett's arms when he carried you out of the bathroom. I didn't even want to let him go in there to get you."

"You had to," I murmured sleepily as Carlisle readied his stethoscope. I was quiet while he listened to my heart and lungs.

"It all sounds okay. I think she just needs a little extra sleep right now."

I nodded, rolling toward Edward even as my eyes drifted down. My head landed in his lap and I was safe in the arms of my marble angel.


	32. Chapter 32

It was the day of the trial. I wouldn't be going to school that morning. Charlie had asked me if he could drive me to the courthouse. I could tell how much it meant to him and agreed. I had told Edward just before he left to go home and get ready that I'd meet him there. He understood.

I couldn't eat anything, I was so nervous. I think Charlie was almost as nervous as me. We both sat there with breakfast in front of us, just pushing it around the plates.

"I guess we'd better go." Charlie's voice almost made me jump. He was trying to be as gentle as he knew how to be. Edward had told him about the breakdown Tuesday morning.

I nodded and gathered up the plates. I would wash them when we got home but I decided to at least rinse them off.

We walked out to the truck in silence. I hadn't ridden in the truck since Edward had come back. He had been picking me up for school every morning. His Volvo had become kind of a fixture at the house.

I felt the terror welling up. The bed of this truck is where my innocence had been brutally taken from me. "Bells, we can take the cruiser if it makes you more comfortable."

Charlie had obviously been paying attention. Just then, Carlisle pulled up in front of the house. He got out of the car. "May I offer a ride to the courthouse?"

"Thank you, Carlisle. We were going to take the truck but I don't think Bella's quite ready for that just yet." The two of us got into Carlisle's car, my dad sitting next to me in the backseat with an arm around me.

"The kids have already gone on to the courthouse. I have to say, Bella, I think Edward might be as nervous as you are." Esme was here. She turned around from the front seat and reached out, taking my hand.

"Thank you, Esme. But I'm not nervous. I'm terrified. I just hope I can actually do this."

"We know you can do this. You're a very strong person, Bella. You'll get through this and then you'll begin the long process of moving on. And all of us will be there to help you through it." She squeezed my hand, smiling at me.

****

Arriving at the courthouse, I was grateful to see that things hadn't turned into a media circus. The younger Cullens greeted us and Edward held my hand the whole way inside.

The pack was already seated inside the courtroom. They had left open spaces for the Cullens, knowing that I would want Edward and Jasper as close to me as possible.

I was terrified. I didn't think I could get anymore scared. Until they led the four of them in.

Charlie noticed the way I shied back from them. I could feel the calming waves that Jasper was sending me, not that it did much good. I could see Jake out of the corner of my eye as he started shaking. I was almost as scared of him phasing as I was of the men I was here to face.

"Hello, pretty," the leader leered at me. I remembered his name. One of the others had called him Lonnie. He started toward me and I cringed back against Charlie. The officers on hand reined him in pretty quickly but he had still made his point. I had displayed my fear.

Of course, the next clear sound I heard was a rumbling chorus of growls. I don't know which was clearer: the Cullens or the pack. Maybe it was the combination of all of them together.

"Edward, come here please." Was that shaking voice Charlie? Was he afraid that I would react badly to him touching me at this point?

I felt two cool hands curl over my shoulders. Edward was directly behind me but he wasn't blocking Charlie.

"Look at her, boys. Do they really think she's going to tell them that we did anything wrong? She can hardly talk." Lonnie was laughing at me. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I realized he was right.

Rosalie stood up, just as arrogant and haughty as you please. She stepped toward the man who had ripped my innocence from me. "I'll bet you think you're a really big man," she cooed. I noticed a movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to see Emmett clutch himself and wince in pain. He's obviously heard this tone before.

"I'm man enough for you, gorgeous."

She leaned into him and ran a cold hand down his cheek. "I bet." She smiled as she gripped both shoulders hard before jacking her knee up into his groin. "But honey, man enough ain't enough for me," she crooned into his ear as he fell to his knees.

Even though he whispered it, I caught the words that Emmett said as Rose walked back to sit down next to him. "That's my girl!"

I almost cracked a smile as the guards hauled him up and forced him into a seat. Rose reached out a hand and grabbed mine gently. "For you, little sister," she smiled.

I smiled at her almost timidly as I gripped her hand tightly. It wasn't long after that that the judge walked into the room.

****

They were going to prison. Lonnie would be gone. At least for about thirty years.

But things hadn't gone as smoothly as I hoped they would. I had broken down on the stand, my fear overwhelming me. Edward had run to me, wrapping his arms around me and holding me so gently. Jasper walked up to me and held out a hand, which I had grasped as if I were drowning and it was a lifeline. I understood that physical contact helped him to focus his ability.

Next thing I knew, he was curled around the chair on the witness stand with one hand on my ankle. I managed to stay calm enough to finish testifying and get back to the table. Edward was sitting in my seat and he folded me onto his lap and into his arms. The judge looked at us kind of strange but Edward just smiled at her and she was dazzled.

"That's not nice, Edward," I whispered into his ear. "You're dazzling her."

"Only for the purpose of keeping you safe, love," he whispered back, kissing me just below the ear.

Watching Jake testify was hard on me. I felt so awful listening to him talk about how I would doze off in his garage only to wake up screaming in fear. He told the judge about how I would flinch every time anyone approached me. It didn't matter if they gave me warning or not. I just couldn't handle the pain in his voice as he talked about the way I used to sit with my arms wrapped around me as if trying to hold my insides in.

It didn't matter that the rape wasn't the reason I did that. But he played it off as if that was the case in fact.

I cried as Charlie told his part of the story. How he had driven to Port Angeles with Jake to pick me up and had Jake drive the truck back. How he couldn't even hold his own daughter without her flinching away from him. His tears broke my heart and caused my own to flow faster.

Of course, every parent on the jury could feel his pain. They could all sympathize with what he went through, not being able to hold me.

I felt so awful for causing him that kind of pain. I buried my face in Edward's neck. "Not your fault, love. It's their fault. They did this to you. That makes it their fault."

"I can't help it, Edward. I hurt my father and I would rather hurt myself then him."

We were whispering but I knew that my vampire family and the pack could all hear me. I could see the pain written on the Cullen's faces when I peeked up at them. I could see tears streaming down Jake's face and even some of the others.

When the verdict was announced, I cried in relief. Alice jumped up, pulling me into her arms and holding me close.

As they went to pull Lonnie and the others out of the courtroom, he broke free and lunged at me. Before he could reach me, the pack had jumped in front of me with Emmett, Jasper, Edward and Carlisle right behind them. Rose, Esme and Alice were all holding on to me as they pulled Charlie back from what could become a scene of carnage.

"This ain't over, you little tramp!" he bellowed as the officers grabbed him and pulled him away. I stepped back, my vampire family moving with me. "I'll make you pay for this! I swear it! I'll make you pay!"

When he was gone, Edward moved to me and enfolded me tightly in his arms, pulling me away from the others. Charlie moved to us and reached out a hand. "Bella, it's over. He can't hurt you anymore."

I lifted my tear-streaked face to my dad's and shook my head. "It's not over, Dad. It'll never be over."


	33. Chapter 33

Carlisle drove Bella and Charlie home while the others went back to the house. Her tears had hurt Edward almost as much as her words had hurt her father. Did she really believe that the creep could get to her from jail?

"Edward, now we have to figure out how to stop Victoria," Jasper rasped.

"I know. But the question is how to keep Bella safe while we hunt Victoria."

"I think we may be able to help with that," came a deep voice from within the tree line.

All the Cullens spun around, Edward, Emmett and Jasper taking up defensive stances in front of the females. Jacob and Sam walked out of the trees. "Chill. We've come to offer our help in dealing with the red-headed leech."

"What business is it of yours, pup?" Emmett demanded.

"Bella's my best friend. She's like family to me. I hate to see her like this and I will help protect her if you let me. Of course, I still will even if you don't let me but I might end up getting in the way more than anything."

"Jake, we'll let you help. Jasper and I were just going to discuss strategy. We've been thinking that she's gathering an army of newborns. You've seen the headlines about all the killings in Seattle?"

"Of course, who hasn't?" The man standing next to Jake wasn't familiar to Edward.

"Who are you?"

"Sam Uley. Pack alpha. Jake is my second."

"I'm Edward. This is Emmett, Jasper, Esme, Alice, Rosalie." Edward pointed to each member of his family as he spoke their name.

"So you think this Victoria is behind all the killings?"

"Yes. And we believe that she's creating an army of newborns. Newborns of our kind are very difficult to control. Very unpredictable. We believe that she's doing this with the intent of coming after Bella. We want to remove the threat before they can get here."

"Good thought. Any ideas as to how?"

"Can you meet us tonight?"

"You name the time and place. We'll be there. Although we promise nothing more than to listen at first. If you can show us something solid about all of this, we might be able to grant more help." Sam was willing to listen and Jake knew that the others would listen to Sam. But he was more worried about Bella.

"Bella will be fine, Jacob. I'll check in on her a little later. I doubt she'll be able to sleep tonight. Especially not after that monster's performance in the courtroom today."

"Take care of her, Edward. Otherwise, I'll tear you apart."

"You're welcome to try, pup. You might not find me as easy to kill as Laurent was."

"I think I could take you. After all, one on one is a fair fight."

"Not really. Not in this case."

_'I wonder what he'd say if I told him that Seth was at Bella's right now, watching the house.'_

"I'd say thank you for sending someone."

"Bella said you could read minds."

"And anytime I hear someone think Bella's name they have my undivided attention."

'_Edward, what are you doing?'_

"If we want their help we have to give them a reason to trust us."

"I think I see where you're going with this, Edward, and I have to say good thinking. The newborns wouldn't have any knowledge of the wolves. They won't know how to deal with them."

"So you think that it's wise to reach a truce with the wolves?" Rose asked, moving to stand beside Emmett.

"I think it's the only way we can be certain of winning. They have us outnumbered and even though they've been fighting among themselves, killing each other, Victoria can always make more at a rate high enough to replace all of them that die and then some."

Edward shrugged. "Whether or not it's wise, we'll have to wait and see." He turned his attention back to Jake and Sam. "Jacob, will you call me later at Bella's? I'll talk to Carlisle and see if we can't figure out a time and place to meet with you so that we can discuss strategy."

Jacob nodded. "I'll call about 9:30."

"Good. That will give Bella a chance to calm down and rest a little before we head out. As long as there's any chance of her being hurt, I won't leave her unprotected." He walked toward the two wolves. "I love her too."

"And that is the only reason I haven't torn you and your clan to pieces yet."


	34. Chapter 34

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. I wouldn't mind borrowing Jasper for a while though.

A/N: I know that in the book Bella goes to graduation with a broken hand because she punched Jake after he kissed her. I don't think he would have pushed the issue to that point here because of what she'd been through and with the trial having just ended. He knows what she wants and even though he wants her to change her mind about Edward, he doesn't want to hurt her further.

After finishing the conversation with Jacob and Sam, Edward took off for Bella's house. He was worried that she wouldn't be able to calm down enough to rest before they met with the wolves later on that night.

He found her asleep on her bed with fresh tear tracks down her cheeks. She rolled over as he walked into her room. "Please don't!" she cried in her sleep. Edward stepped to her side and sat down on the bed. He pulled her into his arms and cradled her tightly to his chest, making sure that she could feel the difference in his body temperature.

The tears fell faster as she clung to him. "He's going to get me, Edward. He's going to get me."

"Not while I'm around, love. The family has vowed to stand with me and protect you no matter what." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "You will be safe. I swear to you, you will be safe."

He stretched out on the bed and she curled into his chest. He wrapped her in his arms and cradled her gently against him.

Sure enough, Jake called at 9:30 pm on the dot. Edward left Bella's side only long enough to answer the call and explain that Bella was finally asleep and they would do this later.

"It's cool, Edward. I'd rather she sleep anyway. At least when she's asleep and one of us is there, she sleeps without nightmares. And she's spent way too much time lost in nightmares."

"Truer words, Jake. We'll talk later. I need to get back upstairs before she finds herself in another one."

"Later, man."

****

Graduation day came. Bella knew what she wanted to wear: her khaki skirt and the red blouse that had apparently been stolen out of her room.

Alice showed up at the window with a flat white box which she threw on the bed. "I thought you might need something to wear."

When Bella grimaced at the big package on top of her unsatisfying wardrobe, Alice continued. "Admit it. I'm a lifesaver."

"You're a lifesaver. Thanks."

"Well, it's nice to get something right for a change. You don't know how irritating it is – missing things the way I have been. I feel so useless. So …. Normal."

"I can't imagine how awful that must feel. Being normal? Ugh."

"Well at least this makes up for missing your annoying thief – now I just have to figure out what I'm not seeing in Seattle."

A lightbulb came on in Bella's head as Alice said it that way. The connection Bella had been trying to make for so long fell into place. Edward had been wrong about the thief. He wasn't hunting Bella. He had been hunting Bella's scent.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Alice asked, sighing when Bella didn't move immediately, tugging the top off the box. "Pretty, don't you think? I picked blue because I know it's Edward's favorite on you."

"It's the same," she whispered.

"What is?" the vampire demanded. "You don't have anything like this. For crying out loud, you only own one skirt!"

"No, Alice! Forget the clothes, listen!"

"You don't like it?"

"Listen, Alice, don't you see? It's the _same_! The one who broke in and stole my things, and the new vampires in Seattle. They're together!"

The clothes slipped from Alice's suddenly nerveless fingers and back into the box. "Why do you think that?"

"Remember what Edward said? About someone using the holes in your vision to keep you from seeing the newborns? And then what you said before, about the timing being too perfect – how careful my thief was to make no contact, as if he knew you would see that. I think you were right, Alice, I think he did know. I think he was using those holes too. And what are the odds that _two_ different peole not only know enough about you to do that, but who decided to do it at exactly the same time? No way. It's one person. The same one. The one who is making the army is the one who stole my scent."

Alice, who wasn't used to being taken by surprise, froze and was still for so long that Bella started counting in her head. She didn't move for two whole minutes straight and then her eyes refocused on Bella.

"You're right. Of course you're right. And when you put it that way …."

"Edward had it wrong. It was a test … to see if it would work. If he could get in and out safely as long as he didn't do anything you would be watching out for. Like trying to kill me …. And he didn't take my things to prove he'd found me. He stole my scent … so that _others_ could find me."

"Oh no," she mouthed, her eyes wide with shock. She could see that Bella was right.

As the fact that someone had created an army of vampires, which was so gruesomely slaughtering dozens of people in Seattle, for the express purpose of killing her settled in, Bella felt a spasm of relief.

"Well," she whispered, "everyone can relax. Nobody's trying to exteriminate the Cullens after all."

Alice was quick to point out that nothing had changed. That no one was going to get to Bella without going through the whole family first.

"Thanks, Alice. But at least we know what they're really after. That has to help."

"Maybe," she muttered. As she paced back and forth across the room, a fist pounded on the door, making Bella jump.

"Aren't you ready yet? We're gonna be late!"

"Almost. Give me a minute."

"Are you crying?"

"No. I'm nervous. Go away."

Bella heard Charlie clump down the stairs. Alice whispered, "I have to go."

"Why?"

"Edward is coming. If he hears this …"

"Go. Go!" Edward would go beserk when he knew. Bella couldn't keep it from him for long but she didn't figure that graduation would be the best time for his reaction.

"Put it on." That was Alice's final word as she flitted out the window.

She ran down the stairs with her ugly yellow polyester graduation robe over her arm. She hadn't looked at herself in the mirror even though she'd planned to do something sophisticated with her hair. She just hadn't had time.

"You look nice. Is that new?"

"Yeah. Alice gave it to me. Thanks."

Just minutes after Alice left, Edward arrived. He noticed that she wasn't calm but he couldn't ask her what was wrong because they were riding in the cruiser with Charlie.

But she knew that the first moment they weren't standing in front of her father Edward would ask her what was going on. What would she tell him?


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: I know it's been a long time since I updated this story. I'm sorry. Here are two chapters for those of you who have stuck with this one.

* * *

Edward helped Bella from the front seat of the cruiser in the school parking lot. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

"Nervous," she replied. It wasn't a lie.

"You are so beautiful."

He wanted to say more; Bella could tell. But Charlie, in an obvious maneuver that he meant to be subtle, shrugged in between them and put his arm around his daughter's shoulders.

"Are you excited?"

"Not really."

"Bella, this is a big deal. You're graduating from high school. It's the real world for you now. College. Living on your own … You're not my little girl anymore." Bella knew that her dad was choking up.

"Dad, please don't get all weepy on me."

"Who's weepy? Now why aren't you excited?"

"I don't know, Dad. I guess it hasn't hit yet or something."

"It's good that Alice is throwing this party. You need something to perk you up."

"Sure. A party's exactly what I need." Charlie laughed at her tone and squeezed her shoulders.

Everything went as planned through the ceremony. She couldn't believe that she was doing something so mundane as going through a graduation ceremony when there was a sadistic vampire wanting to kill her.

After the fact, she was standing with Edward. "Congratulations."

"Um, thanks."

"You don't look like you're over the nerves yet."

"Not quite yet."

"What's left to worry about? The party? It won't be that horrible."

"You're probably right."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Alice – where is she?"

"She ran out as soon as she had her diploma." Seeing the confusion on his face, Bella decided to tell him.

"Worrying about Alice?"

"Er…."

Knowing that her next statement would tip him off that she knew exactly what was going on she asked the question anyway. "What was she thinking about, anyway? To keep you out, I mean."

"She was translating the Battle Hymn of the Republic into Arabic, actually. When she finished that, she moved on to Korean sign language."

"I suppose that _would _keep her head busy enough."

"You know what she's hiding from me."

"Sure. I'm the one who came up with it." She looked around, knowing that Charlie would be coming through the crowd to find her. "Knowing Alice, she'll probably try to keep this from you until after the party. But since I'm all for the party being canceled – well, don't go berserk, regardless, okay? It's always better to know as much as possible. It has to help somehow."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just stay calm, okay?" When he nodded she continued. "I think you're wrong about things coming at us from all sides. I think it's mostly coming at us from one side … and I think it's coming at me, really. It's all connected, it has to be. It's just one person who's messing with Alice's visions. The stranger in my room was a test, to see if someone could get around her. It's got to be the same one who keeps changing his mind, and the newborns, and stealing my clothes – all of it goes together. My scent is for them." His face had gone so white she wasn't sure if she should continue. "But no one's coming for you, don't you see? This is good – Esme and Alice and Carlisle, no one wants to hurt them!"

His eyes were wide with panic as he realized, just as Alice had, that she was right.

Just then, Charlie showed up. He wrapped his arms around her which shuffled Edward off to the side ever so neatly. "Congradulations, baby!"

"Thanks." She was worried about Edward who still hadn't gained control. He reached for her as if he was going to grab her and run for it. In her mind, that didn't sound like such a bad idea.

Charlie kept talking to her and she was trying to pay attention. But she realized that Alice had been right to keep her thoughts clouded. It had been a supremely bad idea to tell him right then.

Charlie pushed a little and Bella gave into eating dinner at the Lodge. Edward turned him down when invited. He was a little short with Charlie which led the man to believe that he and Bella were fighting.

****

Sitting at the lodge, Bella could hardly eat anything. She felt awful about springing that on Edward the way she had but at least now he knew.

Since her back was to the front windows she had to fight to resist the urge to turn and look for the eyes she could feel watching her right then. She knew that nothing would make Edward leave her unprotected now. Not knowing what she had figured out.

She wanted to hurry out of there so much that when Charlie put a tip on the table she stood up.

"In a hurry?"

"I want to help Alice set things up."

"Okay."

As he turned to say goodbye to everyone, Bella all but ran for the cruiser. She stood by the passenger door impatiently.

Something moved in the shadows.

A sigh of relief was born of her gasp of fear as Edward walked out of the shadows. He pulled her in close and kissed her lips. She felt the tension in his jaw.

"How are you?"

"Not so great. But I've got a handle on myself. I'm sorry that I lost it back there."

"My fault. I should have waited to tell you."

"No. This is something I needed to know. I can't believe I didn't see it!"

"You've got a lot on your mind."

A gentle touch of his hand on her cheek warmed her heart. "And you don't?"

He kissed her again before she could answer and pulled away after far too short a time. "Charlie's on his way."

"I'll have him drop me at your house."

"I'll follow you there."

"That's ---" He was gone before she could finish.

Charlie arrived just after that and they left the Lodge. Bella could never have dreamed what would happen next in the wild adventure she called her life.


	36. Chapter 36

The graduation party seemed almost annoyingly normal but for the fact that Bella and the Cullens shared a huge secret that no one else knew. Before Bella knew what was going on she was the center of attention. It was as if the lights made the humans at the party even more wary of being close to the Cullens.

Bella made a round of the room and was listening (kind of) to Jessica rattle on excitedly about anything she could think of. Edward stayed close, almost glued to her side, pulling her in closer every now and again in response to the thoughts she knew she didn't want to hear.

It made her suspicious when he edged away from her. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

When she saw him talking to Alice, she pulled away from Jessica and tried to get to the kitchen door. But she was off in her timing. Edward was gone. Alice had a distant look on her face that said she was seeing something. And one of her hands was gripping the door frame as if she couldn't stand without it.

But Alice didn't turn to Bella although she begged her to. Following her gaze she saw Edward across the room, his face as empty as a stone. He turned around, disappearing into the shadows under the stairs.

When the doorbell rang, Alice looked up with a puzzled expression that quickly dissolved into one of disgust.

"Who invited the werewolf?"

"Guilty." Bella admitted more than a little sheepishly. She hadn't really expected Jake to show up. She knew that Jake hated the Cullens.

"Well you go take care of it, then. I have to talk to Carlisle."

"No, Alice, wait!" She grabbed for Alice's arm but her friend was gone leaving her alone in the party. And without Edward or Alice close by Bella was starting to feel more than a little panicked.

"Hey, Bella!" Jacob's voice sounded across the room during a lull in the music. But when she looked, Bella couldn't believe her eyes. There wasn't just one werewolf standing there. Quil and Embry had come with Jake, both looking as if they'd just walked into a haunted crypt. Embry still held the door handle and was positioned to run if he needed to.

But Jake was waving at Bella, much calmer than the others. She turned after waving to him, trying to find Alice.

He managed to catch her and yank her out of the crowd. "Friendly reception. Don't forget that you invited me."

She kept looking around for Edward and Alice. It was frustrating Jake. "I brought you a graduation present and everything."

"I've got to do something."

"C'mon, Bell. Don't pretend like I'm not here."

"I'm not. Look, Jake, I've got a lot on my mind right now."

He put one hand under Bella's chin and pulled her around to look at him. Panic filled her eyes. "It's just me. Just Jacob. Could I please have just a few seconds of your undivided attention, Miss Swan?"

She jerked away from his touch, her fear not letting the fact that Jake would never do anything to hurt her get through. Her eyes were stricken, her terror burning into Jake's nose.

"Sorry!" He let go and held up his hands in surrender. "Bella, you know I'd never hurt you. It's me. Just Jake. The one who stood beside you through all of it. The one who would never leave you."

"I'm the one who's sorry, Jake. I know that you'd never hurt me. I know that. It's just that, in the wrong moments, I can still see their faces coming at me. I can still hear their laughter. I still feel so dirty."

He held his arms out. "You're not dirty, Bella. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of crap." She stepped into his embrace for a moment.

"Didn't you say you had a graduation present for me?"

He placed a small drawstring bag in her palm. She tried to open it, trying to be enthusiastic for him. When she had trouble with the strings he took it back and opened the bag easily.

The bag was upended and a small silver bracelet fell into her hand. "I didn't make the bracelet just the charm."

Bella found the tiny wooden carving fastened to one of the links and held it between her fingers to look at it closer. The miniature wolf was exacting in detail. "It's beautiful, Jake. You made this? How?"

"Billy taught me. He's better at it than I am."

"That's hard to believe."

"Do you really like it?"

"Yes! It's unbelievable, Jake."

"Well, I figured that maybe it would make you remember me once in a while. You know how it is, out of sight, out of mind."

"Help me put it on." He fastened the catch much easier than she had expected him to.

"You'll wear it?"

"Of course I will."

He grinned at her only to be puzzled as she returned to scanning the room anxiously for Edward or Alice.

"Why're you so distracted?"

"It's nothing. Thanks for the present, really. I love it."

"Bella? Something's going on, isn't it?"

"Jake, I … No there's nothing."

"Don't lie to me. You suck at lying. You should tell me what's going on. We want to know these things."

'_I should tell him. I know I should. But what do I tell him? That I think I know what's going on? What if I'm wrong?'_

"Jacob, I will tell you. Just let me figure out what's happening, okay? I need to talk to Alice."

He understood. "The psychic saw something."

"Yes. Just when you showed up."

"Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?" he muttered, pitching his voice below the thrum of the music.

"It's related," Bella admitted.

Leaning his head to one side as he processed that bit of news, he tried to read her face. "You know something you're not telling me …. Something big."

"Yes."

After staring at Bella for one short moment, he turned to catch his pack brothers' eyes where they stood at the door, awkward and uncomfortable. When they saw the look on his face they started moving, weaving their way agilely through the unknowing humans. In half a minute they stood on either side of Jacob, towering over Bella.

"Now. Explain."

"Jacob, I don't know everything." She was now searching the room for a rescue. The three wolves had her backed into a corner in all ways.

"What you do know, then."

They all folded their arms across their chests at precisely the same moment. Thankfully, Bella caught sight of Alice descending the stairs, her white skin glowing in the purple light. "Alice!"

Alice looked right at Bella as soon as she called her name, despite the thudding bass that should have drowned her voice. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the werewolves leaning over Bella and the panic in her friend's eyes.

The three wolves leaned away from her as Alice came over to Bella's side. "I need to talk to you," she murmured into her ear.

"Jake, I'll see you later." The two females eased around Jake whose arm snapped out to brace his hand against the wall, blocking their way. "Hey, not so fast."

"Excuse me?"

"Tell us what's going on."

Bella blinked and Jasper was there. He sensed a threat to Alice and Bella and responded. Jake pulled his arm back, realizing that Bella was scared and seeing the potential of a fight. "We have a right to know."

Alice's face turned thoughtful. "It's okay, Jasper. He actually has a point."

"What did you see, Alice?" Bella asked.

"The decision's been made."

"You're going to Seattle?"

"No."

Bella felt her stomach sink. She started wondering if eating had been such a good idea. The color completely drained from her face. "They're coming here."

Three pairs of hands started trembling as the Quileute boys watched the emotions run across faces.

"Yes." Everyone could see that Alice wasn't happy with delivering this news.

"To Forks."

"Yes."

Bella knew the answer to her next question but asked it anyway. "For?"

"One carried your red shirt." Bella couldn't swallow.

Jasper seemed upset. Of course he didn't like discussing this in front of the wolves but he had to say it. "We can't let them come that far. There aren't enough of us to protect the town."

"I know. But it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will still come here to search."

"No!" Bella whispered. She knew that only the vampires and wolves had heard her. All of the other people at the party were eating, laughing and swaying to music completely ignorant of the fact that death and danger were coming to their little town. "Alice, I have to go. I have to get away from here."

"That won't help. It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first."

"Then I have to go to meet them! If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else!"

"Bella!" Alice was ready to fight her on this.

"Hold it. What is coming?" Jacob demanded the information in a low, forceful voice.

"Our kind. Lots of them."

"Why?"

"For Bella. That's all we know."

"There are too many for you?"

"We have a few advantages, dog. It will be an even fight."

A strange, fierce half-smile spread across Jake's face. "No. It won't be even."

"Excellent!" Alice hissed. She grinned at Jake who grinned back. "Everything just disappeared of course. That's inconvenient but all things considered I'll take it."

"We'll still have to coordinate. It won't be easy for us. Still this is our job more than yours."

"I wouldn't go that far, but we need the help. We aren't going to be picky." Jasper was willing to argue the point but he didn't interrupt.

What were they talking about? Bella felt so lost. Finally she got their attention. "Coordinate?"

"You didn't honestly think you were going to keep us out of this?" Jake asked.

"You _are_ staying out of this!"

"Your psychic doesn't think so."

"Alice – tell them no! They'll get killed!"

As Jacob, Quil and Embry laughed out loud, Alice spoke in a soothing manner. "Bella, separately we all could get killed. Together –"

"It'll be no problem." Quil laughed at Jake's words.

"How many?"

"No!" Bella shouted.

"It changes – twenty-one today, but numbers are going down."

"Why?" Jake asked.

"Long story. And this isn't the place for it."

"Later tonight?"

"Yes." It was Jasper that answered this time. "We were already planning a … strategic meeting. If you're going to fight with us, you'll need some instruction."

The wolves didn't think too highly of the implications of that statement. "No!" Bella moaned.

"This will be odd. I never considered working together. This has to be a first."

"No doubt about that. We've got to get back to Sam. What time?"

"What's too late for you?"

As they all rolled their eyes, Jake repeated himself.

"Three o'clock?"

"Where?"

"About ten miles due north of the Hoh Forest ranger station. Come at it from the west and you'll be able to follow our scent in."

"We'll be there."

Bella called after Jake when they went to leave. "Wait, Jake! Please! Don't do this!"

Pausing while the other two headed to the door, Jake gave Bella a grin. "Don't be ridiculous, Bells. You're giving me a much better gift than the one I gave you." She watched helplessly as they disappeared out the door.


	37. Chapter 37

DISCLAIMER: Nope not mine. but you have to have a dream.

A/N: I know. It's been a while since I updated this one. Thanks for sticking with me.

* * *

Everyone had reassured Bella. They were much more relaxed. Bella was the only one who was tense. Emmett had laughed loud and long. Alice had patted her head and Esme had kissed her forehead. Jasper even tried soothing her with his ability.

Now Bella was worried about not only the Cullens, Edward in particular, but the wolves, Jacob in particular, getting hurt.

Whispering in order to keep her voice under control, she told Edward, "You're taking me with you tonight."

"Bella, you're worn out."

"You think I could sleep? And if I did, do you honestly think I wouldn't wake up screaming at some point? I haven't been able to sleep the night through without waking up since THAT night.

"This is an experiment. I'm not sure if it will be possible for us all to … cooperate. I don't want you in the middle of that."

"If you won't take me, I'll call Jacob."

His eyes tightened and she almost felt bad. But he didn't say anything. The front light was on when they pulled up to Charlie's.

"See you upstairs," she murmured.

She crept in the front door to find her dad asleep in the living room. He hung over the sofa almost as badly as Jacob did that first morning after the attack when she'd slipped down the stairs. She smiled sadly and went to help him up to his room.

Edward was waiting in her room as she washed her face and changed her clothes. But, even though he wasn't happy with her, he lay down next to her and held her close. "Please relax."

"Sure."

"This is going to work, Bella. I can feel it. Jake wants to help protect you. He feels just as guilty as I do for the attack that made you so skittish. He feels like this is a good way to make up for it in some small way." He sighed as Bella clung to him. "Listen to me, Bella. This is going to be easy. The newborns will be completely taken by surprise. They'll have no more idea that werewolves even exist than you did. I've seen how they act in a group, the way Jasper remembers. I truly believe that the wolves' hunting techniques will work flawlessly against them. And with them divided and confused, there won't be enough for the rest of us to do. Someone may have to sit out," he teased.

Even though Edward hummed the lullaby he'd written for her, it didn't help. She was terrified that she was going to lose someone she cared for.

****

Hours later, Edward and Bella arrived at the meeting place. Alice wasn't looking quite as optimistic as everyone else was.

"The werewolves are on their way, so she can't see anything that will happen now. It makes her uncomfortable to be blind."

Alice heard him and stuck her tongue out at him, making them both wonder just how old she really was. Edward laughed.

"Hey, Edward. Hey Bella. Is he going to let you practice too?" Emmett greeted.

"Please, Emmett, don't give her any ideas."

"When will our guests arrive?"

"A minute and a half. But I'm going to have to translate. They don't trust us enough to use their human forms."

"They're coming as wolves?" Bella shuddered, remembering the day she'd seen the pack in the meadow. They had been so huge, so fearsome-looking.

Edward wrapped a comforting arm around Bella's shoulders. Even though she couldn't see the wolves in the woods, she could tell that the others could. She felt their tension and shuddered again, remembering the day that Paul had gotten angry at her. He had nearly killed her that day and it had stirred nightmares for weeks.

Carlisle carefully stepped forward. "Welcome."

"Thank you." Bella started before realizing that the words coming from Edward's lips actually came from Sam. "We will watch and listen, but no more. That is the most we can ask of our self-control."

"That is more than enough. My son, Jasper, has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."

"They are different from you?"

"They are all very new – only months old to this life. Children in a way. They will have no skill or strategy, only brute strength. Tonight their numbers stand at twenty. Ten for us, ten for you – it shouldn't be difficult. The numbers may go down. The new ones fight amongst themselves."

"We are willing to take more than our share, if necessary."

A little more talk and Jasper took over. He addressed himself mostly to his family, describing how the newborns would fight. He used Emmett as a prime example of how newborns fight.

After he had beaten Emmett, who true to his nature had demanded a rematch, Edward wanted a turn. "In a minute. I want to show Bella something first." Alice was waved into the ring. "I know you worry about her. I want to show you why that's not necessary."

Bella froze as he dropped into a crouch facing her. Alice, looking like a little porcelain doll after Emmett, smiled to herself as she stood motionlessly in the center. Jasper sprang, disappearing when Alice's eyes drifted closed. Alice didn't seem to move but yet Jasper was on the other side of her.

Jasper wheeled and launched himself at her again only to land in a crouch behind her like the first time. Bella watched Alice closer now.

She _was _moving – Bella had just missed it. Of course she had been distracted by Jasper's attacks. At the exact second Jasper's body flew through the spot she'd been standing in she would take just a small step forward. Taking another step, Jasper's hands whistled past where her waist had been.

Jasper closed in and Alice moved faster. It looked like she was dancing – spiraling and twisting and curling in on herself. Jasper was her partner, lunging, reaching through her graceful patterns, never touching her as if every movement was choreographed.

Bella started as Alice laughed from her perch on Jasper's back with her lips against his throat. "You truly are one frightening little monster."

She walked over and sat down next to Bella who was suitably impressed. The rest of the night was spent with Jasper trying to teach the others how to fight the newborns. As the session ended for the night, the wolves decided it would be best to learn the scents of the Cullens that way fewer mistakes could be made.

The Cullens held very still as the wolves scented each one. Bella noticed the wolf right behind Sam. He had reddish-brown fur that was longer and shaggier than the others. He looked right at Bella and her mind tried to process what she already knew. This was the one who had been with her when she needed a rock to lean on.

Jake gave her a wolfy grin and she giggled. He walked over to stand not two feet from Bella. He dropped down to an almost prone position. "Jacob?" He gave her a wolf's equivalent of a chuckle.

Her trembling fingers reached out to touch the fur on the side of his face, making Jake lean into her hand.

FLASHBACK

_One night, not long after Bella had discovered Jake's secret about being a wolf, he had come to her room to sit with her until she fell asleep. Bella fell asleep only to wake up stifling a scream in her throat._

"_Would it help if I sat on the bed with you?"_

_She shrugged and so he'd sat down on the bed with his back against the headboard. She'd put her head in his lap and tried to go back to sleep. It didn't work._

"_Would you like to meet my wolf? Maybe if you met him this way you wouldn't be so scared of him. Maybe you can sleep curled up to him like a big teddy bear." When Bella nodded warily, Jake phased and dropped to a prone position on her floor. She sat down on the floor, running her fingers through his fur for a while, starting to feel drowsy again. She stood up and grabbed her blanket off the bed. She lay her head down on Jacob's side and covered up before falling asleep nestled against a giant wolf on the floor of her room._

_FLASHBACK ENDS_

She hadn't told anyone about that night. She didn't want to worry anyone about her mental status. They did that enough.

Jake nudged her from the submissive posture he had taken and she smiled down at him. Edward was watching them both closely, not too certain about having Bella so close in to him in his wolf form.

The flashback that had settled into Bella's mind had obviously taken up a prominent spot in Jake's as well. Edward scowled as he picked it up from the wolf. He stepped forward, knowing that Jake would never hurt Bella intentionally and wouldn't hurt him because it would hurt Bella.

He knelt beside Bella and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Thank you again, Jacob. For being there when my stubbornness wouldn't let me be. You guarded her well. Thank you."

He listened for a moment. "Of course I regret leaving. Especially knowing what happened to her." The pack had left but two of them stood just within the tree line, watching warily. He took her hand. "Ready to go?"

He turned to Jacob. "I've not quite figured out all the details yet."

Jake growled.

"It's more complicated than that. Don't concern yourself; I'll make sure it's safe."

"What are you talking about?" Bella demanded, frustrated at hearing only one side of the conversation.

"Just discussing strategy."

Jacob's head swiveled back and forth. He bolted for the forest. "Wait!" she called reaching after him. But he had left. "Why did he leave?"

She sounded hurt and Edward draped an arm around her shoulders. "It's not you. He's coming back. He just wants to be able to talk for himself."

She leaned into Edward, exhausted beyond belief. But she was almost as determined to fight it as she had been on the flight from Italy.

Jacob loped back into view. "Okay, bloodsucker, what's so complicated about it?" he continued their conversation from earlier.

"I have to consider every possibility. What if someone gets by you?"

Jake snorted at that thought. As if anyone would get past the wolves. "Okay, so leave her on the reservation. We're making Collin and Brady stay behind anyway. She'll be safe there."

Bella scowled. "Are you talking about me?"

"I just want to know what he plans to do with you during the fight."

"_DO_ with me?" Both Jake and Edward turned toward her, knowing they were in trouble for the way Jake had phrased it.


	38. Chapter 38

"You can't stay in Forks, Bella." Edward tried to pacify her. "They know where to look for you there. What if someone slipped by us?"

The color drained from her face so quickly that it worried the guys. "Charlie?" she gasped, causing Edward to move in closer and Jake to take a step forward.

"He'll be with Billy. If my dad has to commit a murder to get him there, he'll do it. Probably won't take that much. It's this Saturday, right? There's a game."

"This Saturday? Well, crap! There goes your graduation present."

"It's the thought that counts. You can give the tickets to someone else."

"Angela and Ben. At least that will get them out of town."

Edward brushed a hand gently down her cheek. "You can't evacuate everyone. Hiding you is just a precaution. I told you – we'll have no problem now. There won't be enough of them to keep us entertained."

"But what about keeping her in La Push?"

"She's been back and forth too much. She's left trails all over the place. Alice only sees very young vampires coming on the hunt, but obviously someone created them. There is someone more experienced behind this. Whoever he or she is, this could all be a distraction. Alice will see if he decides to look himself, but we could be very busy at the time the decision is made. Maybe someone is counting on that. I can't leave her somewhere she's been frequently. She has to be hard to find, just in case. It's a very long shot, but I'm not taking chances." Bella's face revealed her confusion as he patted her arm. "Just being overcautious."

Jacob flung out his arm. "So hide her here. There's a million possibilities – places either one of us could be in just a few minutes if there's a need."

Edward disagreed. "Her scent is too strong and, combined with mine, especially distinct. Even if I carried her, it would leave a trail. Our trace is all over the range, but in conjunction with Bella's scent, it would catch their attention. We're not sure exactly which path they'll take, because they don't know yet. If they crossed her scent before they found us …" Both of them grimaced at the thought of what could happen in that case. Bella's exhausted mind could come up with only one terrifying scenario.

As she swayed on her feet between the exhaustion and the horror of the image crossing her mind, Edward pulled her closer, supporting her weight.

"Edward, you should get her home. She's so worn out she can hardly stand." Esme's gentle voice came from behind him just a bit.

"Wait a sec. My scent disgusts you, right?" Edward caught on immediately.

"Jasper?" When Jasper and Alice had come over to where the trio stood, Edward continued. "Okay, Jacob."

Although Jake was clearly uneasy about being so close to his enemy allies, he held out his arms to Bella. "We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail," Jake said.

"He's going to have to carry you, Bella." Edward could almost see the suspicion in her eyes. "You know he would never do anything to hurt you."

Jake reached down to gather her into his arms. Once she was settled there with her head resting on Jake's broad shoulder, the two of them glanced at Edward, who explained his thought to Jasper. "Bella's scent is so much more potent to me – I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried."

At that point, Jacob turned and loped into the woods. The dark closed around them, reminding Bella of the night she had been attacked. Of course, the warmth of Jake's arms held the terror at bay and soon she had relaxed into his hold.

She was nearly asleep when they entered the clearing about half a football field away from where Edward stood all alone. Jasper and Alice had rejoined their brother by the time Jake put Bella down.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't imagine someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent. It was almost completely obscured."

"A definite success."

"And it gave me an idea."

Edward turned more toward Bella. "We're – well, you're going to leave a false trail to the clearing, Bella. The newborns are hunting, your scent will excite them, and they'll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about it. Alice can already see that this will work. When they catch our scent, they'll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears …"

That earned a hiss of agreement from Jacob. Bella started shaking her head. She couldn't handle the thought of her adopted family and her best friend being in danger even if they couldn't see it.

Bella turned as if to move away. Edward's hand tightened almost imperceptibly on her arm. "Where are you going?"

"I want to go home. I don't want to listen to these plans to get yourselves hurt or even killed." Bella's exhaustion was making her cranky.

Suddenly, Edward's head whipped around to Jasper. "Not a chance."

"I know. I know. I didn't even consider it, not really."

When Alice stepped on his foot, he realized that no one else knew what they were talking about. "If Bella was actually there in the clearing, it would drive them insane. They wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but her. It would make picking them off truly easy …" Edward's glare combined with Jacob's growl made everyone clear on their opinions of this thought.

"Of course it's too dangerous for her. It was just an errant thought."

"No." Edward's voice put an end to the conversation.

"You're right." Alice and Jasper walked back toward the others as he challenged her to best two out of three.

"Jasper looks at things from a military perspective. He looks at all the options – it's thoroughness not callousness."

And although it had been a frightening thought, being in the clearing with the fight going on all around her, it gave Bella an idea as to how she could be of more help than Edward wanted to allow her to be.


	39. Chapter 39

Edward had carried Bella back to her house after making arrangements with Jake to lay the false trail and hide Bella with Seth acting as a cell phone of sorts. Even curled up to Edward's cool frame, Bella's nightmares came that morning.

They weren't the usual nightmares of being raped. It was nightmares of the coming battle that haunted her dreams. Nightmares that kept her frighteningly still at times. Edward was worried about her. He lay next to her and held her wondering what her mind was torturing her with this time.

When she finally yawned and stretched, he watched her fingers reaching for him and not finding.

"Edward?" she mumbled, fear leaking into her voice.

This time when her fingers reached out they found his hand. "Are you really awake this time? You've been very restless – talking all day."

"All day?"

"You had a long night. You'd earned a day in bed. What were you dreaming about?"

"I thought you said I'd talked all day."

"It didn't make any sense. You kept talking about staying hidden and not moving so they wouldn't find you. Crying out for me, Jacob, others. Tears streaming down your face as you trembled. I didn't understand it. I couldn't comfort you because I didn't know what was troubling you. I held you as close as I could without hurting you and it didn't seem to help."

"I'm scared. I don't want to be hidden away somewhere. I want to help somehow."

"Bella, my heart couldn't take having you in danger like that." He heard her stomach growling. "Hungry? Would you like breakfast in bed?"

"I'll get it. I need to get up and move around anyway." He stayed beside her as she walked to the kitchen as if afraid she was going to fall over.

After throwing a couple of Pop-Tarts in the toaster, she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflective chrome.

"It was a long night. You should have stayed here and slept."

"Right! And missed everything. You know, you need to start accepting the fact that I'm part of the family now."

"I could probably get used to that idea." He reached out one hand and ever so gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Then, he noticed the bracelet that she was still wearing.

Once he'd established that she would be wearing the bracelet a lot in order to protect Jake's feelings, he asked if he could have a hand-me-down on the bracelet in order to keep him in her thoughts. "You're in every thought I have. I don't need reminders."

"If I gave you something, would you wear it?"

"A hand-me-down?"

"Yes. Something I've had for a while."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"Have you noticed the inequality? Because I have."

"What inequality?"

"Everyone else is able to get away with giving you things. Everyone but me. I would have loved to get you a graduation present, but I didn't. I knew that it would have upset you more than if anyone else did. That's utterly unfair. How do you explain yourself?"

"Easy. You're more important that everyone else. And you've given me you. Not to mention all those nights you've sat with me, protecting me from the nightmares of my ---." She still had a hard time saying the word. "You've done more for me than anyone else. You are already so very much more than I deserve that anything else you give me just throws things more out of balance."

"The way you regard me is ludicrous."

When his phone buzzed, Bella was thinking that he had it completely backwards. She wasn't worthy of him in her own eyes and yet she knew that nothing she could say would convince him of the fact.

The phone call with Alice was still going on as Bella went over the thoughts she'd had in the night. She noticed that he was quiet and looked at him to find that he was staring at her and the phone call was over.

"I like Jasper's idea." As he groaned she quickly continued. "I want to help. I have to do something."

"It wouldn't help to have you in danger."

"Jasper thinks it would and this is his area of expertise. You can't keep me away. I'm not going to hide out in the forest while you all take risks for me."

"But, Bella, Alice doesn't see you in the clearing. She sees you stumbling around lost in the woods. You won't be able to find us and you'll just make it more time consuming for me to find you afterward."

"That's because Alice didn't factor in Seth Clearwater. If she had of course she wouldn't have been able to see anything at all. But it sounds like Seth wants to be there as much as I do. It shouldn't be too hard to persuade him to show me the way."

"That might have worked … if you hadn't told me. Now I'll just ask Sam to give Seth certain orders. Much as he might want to, Seth won't be able to ignore that kind of injunction."

"But why would Sam give those orders? If I tell him how it would help for me to be there? I'll be Sam would rather do me a favor than you."

Edward took a deep breath. He hated doing this to Bella. He knew that she felt helpless and hated the feeling more than anyone else he knew right now. "Maybe you're right. But I'm sure Jacob would be only too eager to give those same orders."

"Jacob?"

"Jacob is second in command. Did he never tell you that? His orders have to be followed too." Bella all but crumpled in her seat. Edward felt bad making use of knowledge that she didn't have and knowing that – in this one instance – Jake would side with him.

Bella's mind changed in an instant. She knew what she had to do. And she'd be damned twice if she was going to let anyone stop her this time. She had one other option before taking the desperate measure she'd thought up.

"I have to be in that clearing, Edward."

"No."

She knew she shouldn't do this but it was the only way to avoid a much more unpleasant alternative. "Okay, look, Edward. Here's the thing … I've already gone crazy once. I know what my limits are. And I can't stand it if you leave me again." She couldn't even meet his eyes, knowing what she was doing to him.

But to her surprise, his arms wrapped around her, stroking her face and arms. He was comforting her as the guilt went into full spiral mode. But she had to keep him close to her. It was more important than breathing.

"You know it's not like that, Bella. I won't be far, and it will be over quickly."

"I can't stand it. Not knowing whether or not you'll come back. How do I live through that, no matter how quickly it's over?"

"It's going to be easy, Bella. There's no reason for your fears."

"None at all?"

"None."

"And everybody will be fine?"

"Everyone."

"So there's no way at all that I need to be in the clearing?"

"Of course not. Alice just told me that they're down to nineteen. We'll be able to handle it easily."

"That's right – you said it was so easy that someone could sit out. Did you really mean that?"

"Yes." She couldn't believe he couldn't see her next point coming.

"So easy that YOU could sit out?" She looked at him and noticed that his poker face was back in place. He didn't like her asking this of him. "So it's one way or the other. Either there is more danger than you want me to know about, in which case it would be right for me to be there, to do what I can to help. Or … it's going to be so easy that they'll get by without you. Which way is it?"

She was thinking about the others and she knew he was too. _'Am I a monster? The kind that hurts people. The kind that would stop at nothing to have what they wanted.'_

"You ask me to let them fight without my help?"

"Yes. Or to let me be there. Either way, so long as we're together."

Pulling out his phone with a sigh, he dialed a number. "Alice, could you come babysit Bella for a bit? I need to speak with Jasper."

When he hung up, she was almost shaking with guilt. "What are you going to say to Jasper?"

"I'm going to discuss … me sitting out."

"I'm sorry." Her guilt finally got the better of her and she couldn't believe that she had been so selfish.

"Don't apologize. Never be afraid to tell me how you feel, Bella. If this is what you need … You are my first priority."

"I didn't mean it that way – like you have to choose me over your family."

"I know that. Besides, that's not what you asked. You gave me two alternatives that you could live with and I chose the one that I could live with. That's how compromise is supposed to work."

She leaned into his embrace. "Thank you."

"Anytime. Anything."


End file.
